Blizzard of the Red Castle
by K9 the First
Summary: The Abyssal War has been going on for a lot longer than we believe. And in those darkest early days of war, a navy captain and the carrier grew a special bond... And sparked a small miracle. But tragedy destroyed the bliss. And now that miracle has come like a snow storm, seeking, besieging the foundations of the castle. A collab story. Updates on Saturdays.
1. Chapter 1

**Blizzard of the Red Castle**

 **Red Castle**

How could I have foreseen this?

My purpose had solely been for war. To be the sword and shield of my homeland. I was a weapon, content to fulfill my role.

 _"Weapons don't cry. They don't mourn the loss of friends or celebrate victories. You are so much more than_ _ **just**_ _a weapon."_

Steel, oil and bauxite. Gunpowder and HND. That is what I am. But... flesh, blood. Silk and Kyudo. That is also what I am. Not separate, but together. Something more. I didn't understand at first, and neither did he, not truly. But as time went by, as we fought together we... began to understand. My strength, his mind.

 _"Welcome back."_

We... fit together. More than just our roles in a war against an implacable foe. I know sister believes it was the alcohol that let us take that first step. But I know that isn't true. Perhaps not then, but eventually. I don't regret what we did that night. Or the days that followed when we could find the time to be alone. In him, I had found another reason to fight. More than just a shield to my nation and my people. And then... in the months that came, one other reason.

 _"Don't worry, we're turning this around. I won't allow for a world of war to be the one she's born into."_

I worried. It was hard to hide what we had done. To most of the world, we were still poorly understood weapons, no different from the enemy save who and what we chose to fight for. Who would understand? But we kept the charade as long as we could, even as he sought the means to fulfill his promise. I believed him. I loved him. But...

 _"It was a surprise attack. Their offensives were a diversion to strip the garrison. They appeared inside the perimeter without warning, shelled the base before we could even sound the alarm. He's still listed among the missing but if we haven't found him by now... I'm sorry."_

My world crumbled. All I had left of him was her. My child. But it was not safe. I believed he would be safe as well, ensconced in concrete and steel, commanding from the armored bunker surrounded by guards and weapons as I waged our war. But they had known to strike. I could not lose her. In my weakness, I let the masquerade fall to give her the safety I could not.

 _"We'll take her deep inland, out of their reach. Kept safe there until she's mature enough to join the front. She'll be observed of course, this is entirely new ground we're breaking, but... are you sure you don't want her to know? About you?"_

How would she feel, if she knew about us? About my failure? About my weakness? Sometimes I cannot sleep, those thoughts plaguing my rest. It was for the best that she doesn't know. That she believes she is just like the others. A picture, these memories, the knowledge that she is alive and well. They are enough. They have to be enough. But sometimes... sometimes I want to hold her. To tell her the truth and end the lies. In my dreams, she forgives me. Forgives and accepts all that has happened. Those eyes. The shape, the color, even the way they crinkle when she concentrates. It's so much like him.

It hurts so much.

"How are you today Fubuki?"

She salutes, all eagerness and energy, the shine in her eyes unable to shield the emotions roiling within. Respect, awe. Perhaps even adoration.

But no love.

"Ready to serve Akagi-san!"

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Mashadarof402


	2. Chapter 2

**The Provence of Growing Celebration**

Honor. Duty. Pride.

It is a heavy mantle to bear when it has meaning, but I shoulder the burden without complaint. How can I do anything less? I was made to be the banner of my nation, a symbol of her might and prowess. How can I not answer to those expectations? I must be hard and uncompromising. I must be strong, without flaw or lack. If it leads to the others whispering behind my back, trading disparaging barbs and insults of my bearing? I will accept the cost. Indeed, I already have, many such times.

 _"She's such a frigid bitch. Would it kill her to unwind a little?"_

But that does not mean I cannot feel, nor does it mean I cannot understand the emotions of others. If I could not, I would not see the pain in my sister's eyes.

 _"No... no! This can't be happening. This can't be real! He can't be gone! You're lying! You have to be lying!"_

I... did not approve of their relationship. It was not proper. But I could not begrudge her happiness. Perhaps in doing so, I allowed my own weakness to affect my judgement. What should have been a small island of joy in this war of ours was swept barren by the enemy. To all our detriment. She had been strong. Perhaps not in the same manner as I was, but strong all the same. His passing had shattered her confidence and thoughts, a blow as mortal as any torpedo. And then there was... the other matter.

 _"What should I do? Without him... I don't think I can hide it forever. When she's born, everyone will know. And then..._ _ **they**_ _will know too. They came for him, took him away because he was too canny, too clever. With her... I don't want to imagine it. Can I even keep her safe then?"_

I am not ignorant. I know what we are, what we appear to be. In other branches, I have heard rumors of similar indiscretions. Perhaps that is to be expected. But for all the similarities we bear to those who forged us, we are not like them. What she bore should not have been possible. The matter of her conception ensured that she would be unique to all sides of the conflict. A valuable sign of what might come in the future. The worries of my sister were not without merit. And so I lent her my strength, guided her to the only path I could conceive. She did not resent me for it. But regret...

 _"Was I wrong to give her away? She's all I have left. Just thinking of her... how can I keep her safe when I couldn't keep him safe? Tell me sister, please."_

A familiar pain. Yet subtly different. I knew the regret of loss and defeat. Hers was something deeper, visible to my eyes even as she threw herself into her duties and her rice bowl to distract herself, damping her sorrows the only way she knew how. Time passed as it did, grinding down the pain through self enforced isolation from her child. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. She began to smile again, but the vagaries of war are often unpredictable.

 _"Why?! I was told she would be kept away from the sea! Safe! Why is she here?! Where her father... where he...!"_

It was her request to serve as a blade of her nation, our situation having worsened in the years that we could no longer refuse the willing. In the cruelest of ironies, it was none other than her true mother that had inspired her. To serve, to protect. Sister could not deny her, nor could she reveal the truth.

 _"I... I can't! How would she feel if she knew that I had sent her away before she could even take her first steps? That I abandoned her because I wasn't strong enough? I... I'm scared. Scared of what she might say and do. I will be the inspiration she believes in, I promise, but she can't know the truth. She mustn't. Please..."_

It... was not my place to intervene this time, though my spirit rebelled against the notion. Once I had done so, hoping that she would heal in time. But I see that it was in error, the loss a festering sore that has only grown through time. I cannot send the young one away, nor can I break this trust. But she is young, untested. The war is cruel. So I shall do as I must. Her spirit is pure, and I must temper it against the reality that we face. I will be harsh, I cannot deny this, but I cannot give any less. She must hone her blade quickly, and gain the strength to stand on her own lest my sister be torn apart by loss once more. And if she were to break... I will accept the consequences that will surely befall me.

Upon the honor of the first carrier division and my namesake Kaga, I swear this.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Mashadarof402


	3. Chapter 3

**Soaring Phoenix**

It pains a mother to see her child in pain.

I realize that Akagi and Kaga are adopted. But they had both lost their sisters so recently, and they were so little. Kaga had put on a strong face... And I don't think she has ever let herself mourn properly, out of fear that the thoughts of Might Have Been would destroyer her. As much as she spouts the party line about Honor and Duty and Strength, a mother knows. And Akagi... Akagi...

 _"Wasn't he wonderful Hosho? That armada of Wo-Classes didn't know what hit 'em! I felt like I was Mikasa at Tsushima today!"_

She was happy. For the first time since Kanto, she was _truly_ happy. And the cause of that happiness...

 _The young man did not look up from where his forehead was pressed to the floor. "Please, all I ask is the chance to take Miss Akagi to the festival tonight."_

He was a good man. A genuine man. One with morals, personal honor, and felt no need to prove that he was actually born with a penis. Unlike an unfortunately large number of pre-teen boys in fully grown bodies. And so I let the two court each other, keeping their rendezvous secret from the Admiral in charge of us at that time. Fraternization they would call it. It would have ruined his career, and his prospects for further employment no doubt. Such bravery in the pursuit was admirable. And Akagi adored him, and he clearly adored her too. And so when he fell in the line of Duty, Akagi was in such pain... And I was in pain too, to see her so hurt.

And then... Weeks later...

 _"H-hosho? I... I need to tell... Show you something. You and... The Admiral. It's something that... Something that I've kept secret for a few m-months now. Please... Please don't... P-pl-please don't... Be m-ma-mad... Please..."_

How could I be mad? She had been in love. They were young. An indiscretion it no doubt was, but it was not an evil thing. And new life... Life is precious, and innocent in its forging, like freshly fallen snow. However, the miracle taking form in Akagi's belly changed so many things. For starters, I could not see her as my child anymore. Oh don't look at me like that. If you are old enough to conceive a child, you are old enough to face the realities of that choice. Akagi was no longer a child, but a woman in her own right... But she was still my little Akagi... But I had to step back... Let her make her own decisions... Even though it hurt me in the action.

Kongo had been a blessing during those last three months. It's easy to write off her breezy and flighty persona for foolishness, but that foolishness hides a brilliant mind, one all to aware of the dangers of despair in War. We could not erase the pain as Akagi made the painful, but ultimately correct, choice to send the little one away, for her own safety to an orphanage far inland, where she could be loved, away from the dangers of the sea. No, we could not erase the pain of separation... But we could help shoulder the burden. And we have helped, in our own ways - in secret ways, like silk hiding steel - to strengthen her. Prepare the way should... Should the little one come calling.

And she _has_ come. I am sure of it. I did not ask what name Akagi had written on the birth certificate. And she has not volunteered. I could have easily found out any time I wished to though. After all, she keeps that document in a manila envelope under the tatami mats as if that isn't the most obvious hiding spot in the world. But as I said earlier, Akagi is both my child, and yet no longer my child. I can no longer simply ignore her right to privacy, much as it pains me to see her in pain.

But when a little Natural Born destroyer girl named Fubuki arrived from the back country, an orphan with no living relatives... Well... It could still be a coincidence... After all, there are many ship girls that took the "long route" back to service. First there was Enterprise in the American Navy. Prinz Eugen in Germany. Our own Naka oddly enough started out as a genuine Idol. And then there's Tenryuu the professional babysitter, and most famously there is Musashi the... The _probably_ former AV actor (Yamato, bless her heart, has handled her younger sister's former career choice with grace). Fubuki would be in good company.

But that doesn't explain the shocked, _frightened_ , expression Akagi had on first seeing her. Or the fact that her sweet little face resembles a certain captain's so strongly. And then there's her little hobby, one she keeps even from her little friends Mutsuki and Yuudachi.

"Oh? Genealogy records? Service documents?"

The little destroyer starts at my voice, quickly trying to cover up her materials as if caught in something naughty.

"Em, uhhh... Y-you see... I-I'm sorry Hosho-san."

"It's nothing Fubuki. I'm simply curious is all."

"W-well... Back... Back home... I had heard that... That Mom and Dad... That is, my human birth parents were, were in the navy and... Well... Uh... I've always wondered about... Who they were. P-please don't tell anyone? It's kind of... Personal."

Yes. Yes it is.

"I see... Well, so long as you put everything away when you're done, I see no reason to stop you. Now, how about I make you one of my special parfaits?"

The destroyer blinks in surprise, and tries to weasel out of the gift. It's cute in a way.

"Tut-tut-tut! I insist. I've heard you have been working so hard in training. And then a personal little quest on top of that? You deserve a treat. It's on the house. Don't worry, it'll be our little secret."

Is it favoritism? Perhaps. But can you blame me? After all...

Every child deserves to be dotted on by their grandmother...

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Blizzard**

"You're a ship girl, Yuki!" was the first thing out of their mouths when they came for me at the orphanage. On the eve of my fourteenth birthday, they came. Men in white, pristine uniforms handed me a crisp manila envelope with orders, requesting my presence at Sasebo Naval Arsenal for my induction.

I would never forget that day. Priests from Shinto and Buddhist shrines circled around me, chanting prayer after prayer. The ominous noise still haunts my dreams at night. All over my body, they stuck talisman after talisman scribbled with illegible text. And there I sat, in the very center of their circle in nothing but a T-shirt and some shorts I had in my bag. The weight suddenly appeared on my body and dragged me down to the floor, nearly crushing my bones underneath it. Yet, despite this, I endured.

I guess it all started back in October two years ago. I was watching a news program as part of a school assignment. "Pick a news story to write a report on," they said. "It's an easy assignment," they said. I digress. I heard about the Abyssal War ever since I was born, so I decided to write about that. As I changed the channel to a program featuring the war, a lady in red caught my eye.

Akagi-senpai.

On the screen, she drew her bow back with an aura of fierce concentration. With ladylike grace, she released her arrow into the wind, causing said arrow to burst into five planes. The planes flew through the air, destroying the target abyssal on the screen. That grace, that power, that poise. From that day on, she was the kind of person I strove to model myself after.

I adored her.

I admired her.

I wanted to be like her.

I wanted to fight alongside her.

After turning in my report to my teacher, I studied hard. Harder than I ever studied before. Second World War history books were the most common things piled on my desk at school. Each night, I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I wasn't any good at sports, so my grades in my Physical Education classes were barely passing. To pass the time after school instead, I read about history, battles, and tactics. I figured, if I wasn't going to be a ship girl, I would become a commander. That was my goal for two years. When the SDF came out with ship girl applications, I was the first girl in my class to volunteer.

Then they came for me.

 _"Yuki Yamashita, we've reviewed your application. You passed with flying colors. You're a ship girl, Yuki!" one of the officers cried. "Your parents would be thrilled."_

 _"My…parents?" I asked timidly. I haven't heard any mention of them until now. "I never knew them. All I know is that they were sailors that died fighting the Abyssals. I don't even know their names."_

 _"Tell you what, Yuki-chan," a female officer kneeled in front of me and placed her left hand on my shoulder. "We'll let you use the service and genealogy records that we have. You'll be able to find your parents in no time. Deal?"_

 _A small smile crept on my face. "Deal," I responded._

And so, there I was on the ground in the middle of the ship girl induction. The head priest said it was to awaken the ship spirit in me. The weight crushing me slowly got lighter and lighter, my weakened body finally being able to pick up the heavy backpack and weapons clamped onto me. I stood up with my newfound equipment, ending the ceremony then and there.

 _Congratulations. You are no longer Yuki Yamashita. You are the Special-Type Destroyer Fubuki!_

My first days as a ship girl were difficult. At Kure, my newbie status kept me from sortieing. I was in reserve status the whole time, as I didn't have enough experience to fight on my own. I could understand. When I first went to practice there, I fell flat on my face before I even made it to the obstacle course. Then I transferred to Yokosuka. They gave me the chance to make something of myself. I made new friends. I became a flagship. I became one of the best anti-air destroyers in the fleet. Yet all of those accomplishments pale in comparison to the boon which I sought.

Akagi-senpai!

I had no idea she was stationed in this base! The elite of the elites, and I was in her base! And after all my effort, I got my Kai Ni remodel and joined her as her escort. Ah, the same fleet as Akagi-senpai! It's like a dream come true! Now I can stand by her side as equals! I'll be honest, I really feel a connection with her. Like, wouldn't it be cool if we were really sisters? That's impossible, though. I know she's a lot older than I am and she was actually summoned as a ship girl in the first place.

Yet, something's eating away at my heart. After all this time, I can't find information about my parents. Not even a name. Every chance I get, I would check the records on the base and on the Internet. And each time, I would find nothing. This morning was the same deal. After being frustrated enough with the Herculean task on my shoulders, I set out on my daily run.

Seriously, how was I supposed to find any records of my parents if I can't even get their names? I should probably check under children or dependents, see if my name was listed somewhere.

I ran lap after lap this morning. With beads of sweat running down my forehead and soaking my hoodie, I stopped to rest in front of the carrier dorms panting like a dog.

"Fubuki-san, here you go," came a voice behind me. I spun around to find the owner of the voice, where I found Houshou-san holding a towel in front of me. When I refused to take it, she forcefully made me lie down as she wiped the sweat off my brow.

"I still couldn't find anything, Houshou-san…" I groaned as I shielded my eyes from the sun.

"Fubuki-san, good things come to those who wait," she told me.

I couldn't help but agree with her, but some things I can't just put on hold. As I sat up to run more laps before Kaga would tell me to, I heard an all-too-familiar voice calling me to her.

"Fubuki-san?" came the voice of my idol, my senior, and charge Akagi-san. "How are you?"

"Ready to serve, Akagi-senpai!" I saluted her as I beamed my best smile.

And yet, Akgai-senpai's face fell ever so slightly, like every arrow but Cupid's was shot through her heart.

Akagi-senpai, please don't make that face. That face of longing, regret, and heartbreak. It reminds me of my struggle to find my parents.

Mom, Dad, I hope you're watching over me right now. I wish you were here. Your daughter is happy and healthy. She's made a new life for herself. Her friends are very supportive of her. She's standing side-by-side with the person she looks up to. Please keep protecting me, okay? I love you both. I, Fubuki, will do my best!

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by lt_agn02


	5. Chapter 5

**King of the Blizzard**

It's something of an unspoken agreement among all of them in the know, that the daisy dotted hill is where they normally go for these discussions and meetings. There are a multitude of reasons for the choice. Partly it is out of privacy and for OpSec. But mostly it is so they can remain professional while on base, and each ignore the gaping wound that the two of them in particular still feel after all these years.

Meeting at the grave always feels rather pointless anyway. There are far more memories associated with this hill only a short walk from the base, than a meaningless patch of empty dirt more than an hour's drive away.

"Daisuke."

Not admiral then. Or captain as it had once been.

As if the topic and more personal nature of their discussion wasn't blindingly obvious to begin with though. Looking down on the base, he can almost imagine the shapes of an Izumo class Helicopter Destroyer and her older Kongou Class partner sitting at anchor. There's a certain irony to the fact that the first time they ever met Carrier Division 1 at some P.R. thing he barely even remembers, Haruki had jokingly suggested that since he had already been in one Kaga, Daisuke should "try getting inside another."

And then look what happened.

Of course, by that time Kongou was a member of their little clique, and as weird and insane as that period had been before everything went to shit, her week-long "mother of the jilted girlfriend" act provided more than a few laughs that everyone needed.

Those days however, are now long gone. As are the ships, posted elsewhere and now captained by newer men.

Sometimes he wishes for those days. For a time when he too was just a simple peace-time captain. One who just happened to share his name with another, and wasn't famous for being a veteran of the JMSDF in a time before Abyssals or kanmusu. Before he was famous for being the Yin to Haruki's Yang. Before he was the older, stalwart, responsible shield, and the face chosen to represent the convoy protectors and ASW forces keeping Japan supplied, while Haruki was the younger, more outgoing and dashing maverick, preemptively taking the blade to the Abyssals in desperately heroic actions every time they encroached on Japanese waters.

Before he became the surviving half of a duo.

"I'm going to assume that scout buzzing the base all day was on more than just a training flight?"

It's a rhetorical question, though one without any bite to it.

More just a sadness tinged statement that Akagi acknowledges with a question of her own.

"You... You met her earlier?"

The question, Daisuke recognizes, is not the one she is actually asking. That meeting, and the multitude of little similarities and memories it brought back...

"She... she actually looks a lot more like mom. Mine I mean, not Hoshou. Maybe. It's been a while since I looked at those photos, but there's definitely some of mom when she was that age in there..."

The thought makes him feel even older. She never did get over Haruki's death and probably took it harder than anybody barring Akagi. He's always felt like the grief had a hand in her own unexpectedly sudden death only a few months later. The thought has never quite gone away and always left him wondering "what if she had lived"? Could they have finagled something up so that her granddaughter, his niece, Haruki's daughter, wouldn't have needed to grow up in an orphanage under an assumed name? Or would she have still been forced to live a life under a veneer of secrecy, now with the added weight of being the daughter of a dead war-hero.

All he knows is that today's meeting was like having everything brought back to the forefront once more. All the years of silent thoughts at night. Guilt, self-recrimination and feelings of failing Haruki's memory and his responsibility as family. Somehow, complete innocence and ignorance of their relation, even as glimpses of Haruki shone through, were even worse than any imagined condemnation or anger he can come up with.

"There is some of him though..."

He can practically feel Akagi's conflict, even though it's obvious she desperately desires to know more.

"She smiles like him. Kind of. It's in her eyes. She... heh... they sort of do that crinkle thing Haruki's always used to do... That look. You remember the one he'd have whenever he was actually excited or worked up about something? You don't really notice it in the Intel and dossier photos but... She has his eyes..."

A stray thought of childhood and the trials of being an older sibling make him chuckle and shake his head with a competing mix of sadness and mirth.

"She certainly doesn't act like him when she's nervous though. I'm not sure I could deal with Pokerface 2.0. Haruki thought as long as he could act natural he could talk his way out of just about anything at that age. The energy is definitely there though..."

Daisuke finally allows himself to turn around. Looking out from this spot towards the base has always created nostalgia and thoughts of happier times. But looking the other way, memories of lazy shore leaves and being dragged along to third wheel with Kaga (and sometimes Kongou) on picnics to this spot are dampened by the fact that far too many meetings here have been without their fifth member.

Kaga is around like always, once more unconsciously acting the part of protective but helpless sibling in her own way. Kongou is absent due to being on a deployment at the moment, but no doubt she will badger him into setting up some sort of circumstance so she can meet her "niece" and act like the close family friend/"fun" aunt she originally wanted to be. Akagi however, just looks torn.

It was a hard choice to make, but in the end, he left the choice up to her. He'd specifically saved up more than a few favors over the years so that when the time came, he could burn them and be sure his niece could end up with a good commander he trusted or at one of safer bases where he would know her to be in good hands and as safe as one can be at war.

But Akagi had ultimately wanted her here though. After all, where else was safer than the heart of the JMSDF's power, and the home of some their oldest and most experienced kanmusu and officers?

After Haruki's death, he has personally never regarded anywhere as actually safe or secure, but if his niece just so happened to be on the same base as her last surviving blood relatives, well he was more than willing to look out for her and thankful for the extra leeway being her superior provided.

There was never any chance for dramatic last words or dying breath promises (if he remembers correctly the last things they ever actually said to each other were "You want any coffee?", "Already got one", and "I'll be back in five then, because the machine in this building's busted again."). But he's always tried to do right by Haruki's memory, and looked after everyone to the best of his ability, without impinging on their own wishes. Even though nothing was ever officially made or declared, he has always regarded Akagi as something of a sister-in-law and tired to do his best by her like Haruki would have wanted. But he has never been able to do much about his niece. At least 'til now.

Until the day Akagi finally decides to come forth about her secret, he will respect her wishes and keep silent about his own relation to her daughter. Unfortunately this means that for now at least, subtle hints to help his niece out with the little genealogy project noted in her dossier are probably out of the question.

But whether she does find out the truth or not, anybody crying about favouritism or conflict of interest over the next few months can go sit on a cactus and spin.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	6. Chapter 6

**Assistance for the Blizzard**

It's not that Akagi avoids the war memorial. It's just that, to her, the memorial isn't personal. As a monument to all those, both civilian and service personnel lost in the line of duty over the last decade and a half, it just doesn't carry as much of a truly personal meaning or connection as somewhere like the hill. Daisuke doesn't begrudge her for that.

For Daisuke the base's obelisk-like memorial cenotaph is still just a hunk of rock as well (and a bit of an easily overlooked one at that), but it admittedly does have a little bit more meaning to him since with his ever-changing schedule he rarely has time to visit Haruki's grave (or even the hill), never mind the graves of so many other good men and women he knew, that made the ultimate sacrifice doing their duty in those desperate early years of the war.

Despite almost a decade and a half of experience working with kanmusu, Daisuke doesn't think of himself as being particularly religious or spiritual. Well, at least not in terms of humanity. If there's one thing he's decided upon after all these years of endlessly fighting Abyssals, it's that if there is some kind of god, pantheon of higher beings, or dictator of fate in general, it's a fucking asshole. Of course, if there's one thing he grudgingly admits he is, it's ruminative and melancholic.

He doesn't make a habit of it, but sometimes it feels right just to stop by the memorial on the odd occasion and pay his respects. Sometimes it's memories of someone or some group in particular that brings him to it. Other times it's the anniversary of something, and the fact that they're putting on documentary specials for these things just feels so damn cognitively dissonant when he still remembers them like yesterday, but there's now an entire generation growing up that weren't even born when some of these actions took place. Sometimes though, the simple thought strikes him just to pass by for no particular reason at the end of the day.

It's more of the latter reason that brings him back on this particular evening. It's kind of a shitty excuse, but sometimes after really trying days, it's a nice spot just to wool-gather and sort out his thoughts. No-one ever interrupts a person, especially one of his rank, at the memorial.

Much to his surprise however, there is someone else at the white stone monument, despite the lateness of the evening and the sunset tinged sky.

"A-Admiral!"

Returning his niece's surprised and nervous salute, Daisuke signals for her to be at ease then regards her curiously out of the corner of his eye while facing the white stone in front of them. The last few weeks have definitely not been the relatively safe working up and acclimatisation period he and Akagi had originally been hoping for her to have, not helped by the fact that when she arrived she turned out to be much less experienced or even familiarised with her equipment and training than anyone realized (he was still trying to figure out exactly who's guts he wanted for garters over that mess, though the fact that it was his ire in particular that had been earned seemed to be speeding the process along nicely).

Originally the plan had been to stick her under Tenryuu and Tatsuta's protective wings, but a rather unfortunately timed sequence of events meant that they were needed on loan to Sasebo for convoy duty, and with the run up to Operation W there was no reason not to attach DesDiv.6 to other operations until they got back. Shiranui's destroyer division seemed like an option for a bit, but then, Kagerou already had enough girls underfoot to manage and look after, without worrying about having a totally green kanmusu to look after on the kinds of missions they went on. Akagi had also suggested attaching her to Taiho and making her a plane guard for a bit, but fears the Abyssals might be trying for a psyche-out this year by building up their real primary forces in the Aleutians and off the coast of Port Moresby while everyone focused on Wake, the Coral Sea and Midway for their historical significance, meant Taiho was currently in Okinawa while command and the USN tried to coordinate and sort out who was actually going to hit what. Kongou had been their other option, as while the sisters were often at the front, they could trust the British returnee to look after her, and the quartet usually only took along Destroyers on their smaller deployments just to serve as ASW escorts. Of course, then they had to be sent out as well.

He hated to admit it, but his niece had really only ended up with Mutsuki and Yuudachi because they were the only other kanmusu on base that were "spare", and not with some kind of deployment or mission immediately planned.

Of course, then Murphy's law and the demands of war promptly threw most of their hopes and plans out the window. Torpedo Squadron Three had to be thrown into a fight almost right off the bat and Akagi ended up having to bail her out of hot water on her first mission. She'd then ended up on the roster for Operation W (and what a nightmare that had been), and then finally there was her little assignment with Kongo at the Battlecruiser's request. While her last mission actually seemed to have done her some good, behind closed doors things had been somewhat frigid for the next few days between Kongo and Kaga over making Akagi fret like she had once she'd worked her daughter's damage report out of him. Sighing, Daisuke resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose with his subordinate/niece present.

Like father, like daughter he supposes. Then again, there is a world of difference between the kinds of things Haruki made their mother and himself worry about, and what Akagi and himself now have to agonize over every time he has to come up with an Operation plan or she takes a look at a mission roster in the morning.

The thought however, is distracted as he notices movement. Slowly, as if trying not to attract attention, his niece almost seems to be examining the white stone cenotaph for something. Seeing his curious gaze, she blushes and looks down in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I just thought... well, there are names here, so maybe..."

Her explanation trails off, tinged with disappointment as Daisuke connects the dots and then nods sadly with a knowing she probably misreads. Turning his own gaze to the silent stone as his niece goes back to fruitlessly looking for a family name he knows she won't find, he runs a hand over one particularly worn name on a different section of the cenotaph's surface.

He really wishes he could tell her. He'd always agreed to uphold Akagi's wish as long as she would be the one to eventually break the secret, but... There was a world of difference between knowing it would be up to Akagi, and the reality where he was now painfully stuck in the middle of; Torn in a three-way tug of war between his duties and responsibilities as an admiral, his instincts and feelings on family, and his promise as a "brother-in-law" and friend.

For someone who is so used to relying on being sound and confident in his choices and judgements once they're made, it's an uncomfortably foreign feeling to feel so conflicted over something.

Especially something like this.

"Admiral?"

Glancing to the side, he sees her gaze shift curiously from him to the faded kanji his fingers still rest upon.

"That's the same family name as yours..."

Her eyes widening as she realises the possible implications, Daisuke withdraws his hand, mentally kicking himself for being sentimental and getting caught so easily. Then again, it's not like this is a secret. Anybody that remembers or goes looking for the information would easily find out about Haruki's MIA status and eventual declaration of death.

Still Diasuke picks his next words carefully, settling on a half-lie masked by common knowledge.

"My brother. He died in the attack here fifteen years ago."

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

The fact that she does have every right to ask and know burns on Daisuke's conscience.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago anyway. Before..."

He catches himself, though thankfully she doesn't press further. Technically 'before you were born' is true considering her age but... Well, hopefully she just chalking his reluctance up to rawness of the loss he admittedly still feels after all this time.

Thankfully his niece just nods awkwardly, though it's obvious she doesn't quite know how to respond. As it turns out Daisuke isn't entirely sure what to say either. It appears, he soon theorises as they both hesitantly turn their attention back to the stone, that awkwardness is a family trait.

Eventually after another minute of uncertain silence, he figures he should probably get going. Reflecting once in a while can be good for the soul, but staring at a hunk of rock never got anyone anywhere.

"Well, I should get going. Carry on Fubuki."

Turning away, he then moves to leave, thoughts already turning to what to do once he gets back to his quarters. He may have clocked out of the office, but an Admiral's work is never done. There's a folder or two he needs to sort through and read by tomorrow morning, likely more emails to check by the time he's home, and then there's an international conference call he needs to still be up for at 2200. And he still needs to make dinner.

Even lost in thoughts of what to dig out of the freezer however, after a few steps, something makes him hesitate. In the back of his mind, the old, but far from rusty instinct that would often raise a flag whenever something was amiss with a crew member or kanmusu under his command makes itself known. Frowning to himself, Daisuke glances back in the direction of the memorial.

Though her back is to him and her face is towards the carved facade of the cenotaph, the slight tremble of her shoulders is unmistakable.

For a moment he hesitates, uncertain whether he should speak up or not.

The sound of a muffled sniffle decides the situation for him.

"Fubuki?"

She startles slightly at the sound of his voice and his returning footsteps, obviously having thought he'd left. Though she does her best to hide the movement, Daisuke also doesn't miss the quick attempt to wipe at her eyes as she turns around.

"Admiral! I didn't know you were still here."

There's a waver to her voice. One that leaves him feeling incredibly guilty and uncertain what to do.

"Fubuki? Is... everything alright?"

The instant the question leaves his mouth, Daisuke fells like inserting his foot into it instead. It's pretty fucking obvious what's wrong. But normally he prides himself on being direct and cutting to the chase. Bluntness is usually okay around the summoned girls, but truthfully he has no idea how to dance around an issue as insane and delicate as this, especially not when the girl in question is actually his niece, but she doesn't realise it, and he knows most of the answers to all the questions she doesn't even know she can ask.

Another series of sniffles snap him out of his cascade of thoughts, causing him to look down once more and see his niece blinking back another bunch of barely restrained tears.

"Hey, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

For once thankful of the fact that Kongou has been foisting handkerchiefs on to him for years out of some belief that every good officer should have one on the occasion a lady cries, as he produces one and kneels down, she finally gives up and hangs her head.

"I-I can't find them."

"Fubuki..."

What can he say? What can he tell her that isn't an outright lie or digging a hole somehow?

"I've looked and looked and I can't find anything and-"

A shuddering sob cuts her off and Daisuke uses the opportunity to dry the now freely running tears as best he can before a hiccup stops him.

"I-It's horrible but s-sometimes I almost hope I'll find their names on a K.I.A. list-"

The statement leaves Daisuke at a momentary loss for words.

"B-Because I'm not sure what would be worse... I-If they're dead, a-at least then I'd finally know... B-But if they're alive, then that means... Th-that means they..."

As she finally breaks down completely and Daisuke then does his best to awkwardly pull her into a comforting hug, internally all he knows is one thing.

That he officially feels like the biggest heel in the world.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	7. Chapter 7

**Mediate**

Daisuke winces as the door to his office slams hard enough that he wouldn't be surprised if it was heard halfway across the base. He is immensely thankful for the lateness of the hour and that he sent Nagato and Mutsu out to pick up some notes for some communiques he was going to have to deal with later, because Akagi's stomping as she flees the building isn't the end of the issue. With her sister in arms no longer present, Kaga then lets loose with both barrels.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Are the two of you _insane!_ Leaving aside _who_ she is, you want to make a kanmusu as new as her Mobile Unit Five's _flagship_."

Beside him Kongou bristles, though thankfully holds her tongue even as Daisuke does his best to quash his own disbelief and frustration at the situation. For all that Kaga is normally cool, calm and collected, when her emotions run, they have an unfortunate tendency to run hot.

"Yes actually, _I_ am."

" _Why?_ "

"Because apparently she's the only one who can keep things functioning for more than five minutes!"

Daisuke sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and cursing his own momentary loss of his temper as he paces behind his desk.

"I never expected her to _lead_. Damnit, I figured you or Kongou would pick up the position. Aside from the odd Rapid Response mission, Mobile Unit Five is supposed to be a vacation posting in all but name, while Truk builds up and the fleets rotate through shore-leaves and prepare for the next phase of operations."

"It is not my fault Zuikaku refuses to follow orders."

Kongou rolls her eyes, and Daisuke prepares for the inevitable exchange of fire, seeing as the battleship appears to be taking the kids-gloves off for this.

"Maybe she would if you didn't look down on them all the time."

"I do not look down on them. They simply have room to improve."

"It's hard to improve when all you hear is cutting critique and declarations of superiority. Would it kill you to give them a "good job" for once?"

"They do not need to be babied. Zuikaku, for all her faults-"

"Is now in the same unit as us instead of Akagi, and "because reasons" we can't tell her why, or who we're supposed to actually be looking after."

"Well maybe that would be easier if you had remembered there is a time and a place for acting the fool earlier-"

"Alright you two, that's enough!"

Leaving his position behind the desk, Daisuke thumbs at a screen on the wall showing UAV footage and fairy observation plane captured pictures of the battle.

"Playing the blame game isn't going to change the fact that Fubuki legitimately made the grade and generally called all the right shots."

Seeing Kaga about to protest, he sighs and holds up a hand to quieten her.

"Look, I can't _not_ in good faith just step back for a moment and examine my options with just, and _only_ just, the admiral's cap on. While the two of you may be more experienced and have the credentials, unless you can get Mobile Unit Five to work as a cohesive whole under either of your commands, I have no official reason to strip Fubuki of the position as long as her judgment and leadership remain sound in the field, or until you can somehow prove you can do better despite the leadership issue."

Daisuke grimaces and glances at the abused door Akagi previously fled through.

"Nor can I just sideline her or leave the Unit in port doing nothing. The two of you and Zuikaku are too important to hold in reserve for very long, and Fubuki is improving so rapidly and has been on so many missions now that her capabilities as a Special Type are finally beginning to show through. With no real excuses as to _why_ I should hold her back, my hands are tied!"

A feeling like defeat almost begins to creep up on him as he sinks into his chair.

"At this point, experience and doctrine suggests that the best option now might actually be to start getting her into more battles, or at least lots of little skirmishes she can actually win, in the hopes that she can eventually gain a remodel and get stronger."

Kaga stares for a moment, before the fire ignites once more in her eyes.

"Really?! That it? That's your plan. "Sink or swim," and pray what doesn't kill her makes her stronger!"

"Kaga-"

"No! Do you expect me to tell Akagi that this is your plan!"

"Yes, I expect you to tell her that that is the best I can come up with _at this immediate moment_."

"You could be dropping her in way over her head for all you know!"

"Considering my job, I'd like to think I have a damn good idea what I'm dropping you girls into every time I send someone out."

"That someone is Akagi's daughter!"

"And her daughter is my niece as well remember! The only connection I have left to not just Haruki, _but any sort of blood-family at all!_ "

A touch on his arm suddenly makes Daisuke realize he has somehow ended up out of his chair and on his feet as something ugly coils in his chest. Looking at Kongou and seeing the mix of concerned emotions in her eyes, the anger fades, and is instead replaced by a heaviness that makes him feel twenty years older.

He lost his temper. He let his emotions get the better of him.

He fucked up.

Letting out a tired sigh, and sinking back into his chair, he notes that Kaga looks equally disappointed in herself. The two of them probably look like deflated balloons now that their respective angers have run their course and been vented.

"I... I'm sorry Admiral... that... I was out of line Daisuke."

Feeling Kongou's comforting grip on his shoulder, Daisuke can only look back at Kaga and shakes his own head tiredly.

"No. You are right, and I shouldn't have blown up like that either, I just..."

Sighing and racking his brain for a solution other than the one he has already come up with for the 'nth time in a row, finally he admits an at least temporary defeat.

"Look, it's getting late anyway and maybe by the time morning-" a glance at the clock tells him it actually already is morning. "By the time some slightly more reasonable hour rolls around, something about the situation might change enough to provide a new solution less likely to worry Akagi out of her mind."

He doesn't miss the quiet scoff Kongou gives at the obvious implication of continued secrecy, but thankfully it's an argument the three of them have all had more than enough of, and are especially not eager to restart so close on the heels of a preceding shouting match set around the heart of the same issue.

"I shall turn in then, and tell Akagi that you will hopefully have a different solution by morning."

As Kaga turns on her heel, Daisuke can't help but tiredly admit "I hope so too". Kaga pauses for a moment, before then closing the door behind her.

Then it's just Kongou and himself.

"Any particular reason you let her become flagship on purpose? And please don't tell me it's not because you thought it would give her confidence in her abilities or something."

The British-returnee gives a rather unladylike snort but thankfully remains in "serious-mode", even as she somehow procures a thermos of tea from somewhere.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it, but honestly, if I wanted to only do that, it would be a heck of a lot safer for her if I was flagship."

Daisuke sighs and sips at his drink as Kongou pours her own.

"So then that begs the question of what other reason could you possibly think flaking out of the job was a good idea."

Kongou grins, though it is also one tinged slightly with saddened empathy.

"The real reason is that _Akagi_ needs to see that Fubuki can handle herself. Yes, she's still got a way to go and may make the odd mistake every now and again, but I think Akagi needs to realize that Fubuki is made of sterner stuff than she thinks, especially when she has her friends to help, comrades to rely on, and a goal in mind."

Daisuke nods in sad resignation at the fact that he actually sort of agrees with that logic.

"Unfortunately that goal currently happens to be to find her parents and 'get sempai' to notice her."

"Yeah..."

Daisuke gazes out the window silently, imagination, uncertainty and fear proving to be as interesting a combo as always.

"...At this point it's going to be a trainwreck when she finally finds out."

Downing the last of her tea, Kongou smiles slightly.

"Not if I can help it."

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	8. Chapter 8

**Quest**

Daisuke frowned at the sock on the floor outside the hotel room door and muttered to himself as he pulled out his key-card for the room he and Haruki had been assigned to while in Tokyo for this latest P.R. drive.

"Damnit Haruki, you're a grown man now. I should not have to be picking this shit up after you."

Swiping the card through the door, Daisuke simply opens the door and kicks the offending article of clothing in rather than bothering to reach down and pick it up.

"Yo Haru? I think you left a sock- ohgodthatwassupposedtobeonthedoorknobwasn'tit?"

Akagi screams and dives under the covers while a box of hastily thrown strawberries nails Daisuke in the face.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN! GET THE HELL OUT!"

* * *

Kaga sighs.

Or at least as best she can while being quiet.

All she wanted to do was just pick up her spare training arrows from the room she and Akagi shared to help with the AA practice. Except now she's been stuck in the closet for the last five minutes waiting for the other two to leave after they carelessly stumbled in playing sucky-face.

God, how long was it going to take before they'd finally come up for air and leave. Had Akagi been doing sub training lately or something?

Boredly she picks at the edge of a mothball as the minutes continue to crawl by.

Then she hears Akagi's giggle as the voice of her beau states his next intentions.

"And next comes off the bra~"

Yeah, she wasn't going to stick around for this.

Steeling herself and schooling her face into an expressionless mask while making sure not to look at anything other than her true goal, Kaga throws open the closet door. Immediately there is stunned silence, which she deftly ignores as she picks up her quiver of training arrows and then marches to the door, resolutely not looking in their direction.

Seeing as the silence continues after she closes the door and is finally back in the blessed freedom of the hallway, Kaga figures they must have been more stunned than she thought.

* * *

"Hey Haruki, you got any hot coffee? I can't figure out how make these new machines- OH CRAP I'M SORRY!"

"GET OUT!"

* * *

Akagi frowns through the driving rain as she finally notices what is around the fletching of Kaga's arrows and the string of her bow now that she removes it from the plastic and prepares to re-string it in preparation for the coming battle.

"Um... what is that?"

"An experiment."

Kaga dutifully ignores the fact that she looks like the victim of some prank and now removes a latex protected arrow from her quiver, discarding the offending article keeping the fletching dry.

"I have heard that soldiers would do something similar to keep weapons and keep sakes dry and clean in combat zones. I was thinking that since there was some sort of reflection of effect whenever our rigging takes damage we should as ships, was the reverse true and would trying to keep our equipment dry rather than just getting soaked have an effect?"

Akagi frowns.

"But where did you get that many condoms?"

Kaga shrugs.

"I found them in a packet on your desk. Don't worry, I will reimburse you for them."

The promise of payback isn't enough to quell Akagi's frustration.

"WE WERE GOING TO USE THOSE TONIGHT!"

* * *

The garden behind Hoshou's restaurant is beautiful. It helps that it's a perfect night.

Everything is perfect.

It's been a perfect evening, with a perfect dinner, with her perfect man, under the perfect stars, but now... now it's even better.

It's like something out of a movie. The perfect set up to-

"Did you two want to have any tea?"

Haruki with draws his hand as if he were burned and Akagi looks at Hoshou with mortification and horror.

"Mooooooom!"

"Remember to use protection!"

Oh god, somebody sink her now.

* * *

It's not exactly the most comfortable place she ever imagined getting it on, but with the others off wandering through the woods and nobody expecting them back for a while as they "clean up the picnic", Akagi just goes with the flow. It's lovely sunset anyway, almost picturesque, like a scene out of a movi-

The sound of something thumping solidly against the glass makes both of them scream and jump up in surprise, only to find Kongou pressed against the window of the car.

"Hey, is that tea you got in the-"

The battleship pauses as she finally sees through the window tint, then awkwardly unsticks herself from the glass.

"... oh... uh... sorry..."

A few seconds of silence pass with nobody quite sure what to say.

"Well, uh... Carry on then."

Then with about as much subtlety as she can, Kongou sheepishly disappears down the hiking trail once more.

* * *

"We _need_ to do something about Daisuke and Kaga constantly turning up."

" _Oh thank you!_ I, uhhh... I was actually just about to bring that up."

"Bring what up? I heard my n- ohshitI'msorry!"

"OUT!"

"God _damnit_ Dai!"

* * *

The captain and the aircraft carrier look at one another, and then at their opposite numbers.

"Come on Haruki, you know I don't like to drink."

"It's just a few drinks bro! Let your hair down for once. Maybe it'll even do you some good."

On the other side of the table, Kaga stares down her own beverage resolutely.

"This seems rather... odd."

"It's supposed to be like that. Just drink it, you've had sake before. How should this be any different?"

"Sake doesn't look like a traffic light collided with a fruit salad."

Meanwhile Daisuke finally gives into his brother's requests.

"Fine, but this is peer-pressure I tell you! Peer-pressure! I'm stopping at four drinks though."

* * *

He doesn't stop at four drinks

Neither does Kaga.

* * *

"I didn't realise Kaga could sing like that!"

"I didn't realise Daisuke was so _bad!_ "

The two of them laugh at the scores of digital blackmail they have now picked up on their phones from just this one night.

"Should we have left them at that Karaoke bar like that?"

Haruki just grins.

"Don't worry, Dai's a big boy. Even if he's plastered, he's responsible enough to look after the both of them. I'd swear it's hard wired into him."

The thought then makes him laugh.

"Knowing Dai, they might just end up spending the night at a hotel. He missed his stop once, and now hates taking the train whenever he's drunk beyond a certain point."

The feeling of a hand teasingly playing with one of the buttons of his shirt makes him look down and find Akagi now giving him a sultry look.

"Good, because with everyone else out, that means we have the ~entire~ dorm to ourselves. _~All night along~_ "

* * *

Though they do not know it at the time, there actually is one other person in the dorm.

Due to a mix up, it turned out Kongou was not actually needed on duty, and could easily have gone into town on leave with her friends. Turning into bed early out of annoyance, that was sadly not the end of her day of frustration.

At some point she had woken up because she thought someone was being murdered.

As it turns out, the walls were just really thin.

That was also three hours ago.

Correction, four hours according to her clock.

As the boundlessly energetic couple decide to go for whatever round this is because she long ago lost count, Kongou miserably rolls over and drags her pillow over her head.

She is definitely going to have to invest in ear-plugs or some sound proofing in the future because OH DEAR CHRIST SHE CAN STILL HEAR EVERYTHING.

* * *

Poor Kongo. Have some youtube music at her expense: EPqOx-Smqrc

Anyway: This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Blizzard and the Inner Shore**

Coughing and spluttering at the clouds of dust filling the storeroom, the years of build up get to even Mutsu as she searches through the countless cardboard boxes and folders crammed into an often forgotten room in the heart of the Administrative Offices. Behind her Fubuki suffers the effects of the dust even worse, repeatedly sneezing and eventually forcing the battleship to stop and wait for the air to settle before she can continue sorting.

"Sorry about all the dust. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever _seen_ anyone take out or put anything in here in all the time I've been posted to this base. Rumor has it that half of this is paperwork we don't actually need to keep anymore, and the other half is just stuff that's been forgotten in here since they rebuilt the base."

Shifting another box and waving a hand to clear the air of disturbed dust particles, Mutsu then sighs.

"I think I actually believe those rumours now."

Behind her, Fubuki gives a sigh of her own, this one filled with disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I guess I should have realised even if the base still had those files, after so long in storage it would be hard to find them. Thank you for at least letting me check and helping."

Mutsu just smiles and shakes her head.

"Don't worry, there's no reason to be sorry. As much as there is in here, there seems to be _some_ method and organisation to this madness. I asked Kongou earlier, and if she's right..."

Shifting a box out of the way and pausing, Mutsu then blinks in surprise and carefully brushes her hand on the face another to clear off some of the layers of dust. Seeing the faded lettering labelling the box's contents, then locating two others with similar markings, Mutsu looks to Fubuki and gives a sadness tinged-smile. On the one hand, they've finally found what the destroyer has been looking for in her latest search for some kind of genealogical lead. On the other hand, it's a rather tragic source to be checking if they do find anything.

"You found something?"

The raw hopefulness in Fubuki's voice is audible, not matter how hard she tries to hide it.

"Yeah, three boxes. Just let me get them out for you, I think there's some old tables and chairs back on the other side of the room we can use."

As it turns out, extracting the boxes from the heart of the mountain of cardboard and records is one thing, actually making their way to the table is another. While most of the room has been dedicated to excess paperwork storage, the corner by the door seemed to have become a maze of old chairs, desks, furniture and other odds and ends that must have once adorned the base, then been moved to the room for whatever reason and eventually forgotten about. Manoeuvring her way past a vase obviously only held together by superglue, an ancient looking lamp and a stack of faded old recruitment posters still in their wood and glass display frames, Mutsu gingerly places the boxes on the least dusty table she can find as Fubuki takes a seat in a horrendously out of fashion and now tacky looking chair.

Flipping the lids off the boxes, Mutsu grimaces, not just at the contents, but also at the sheer number of faded Manila folders contained within.

"Are you sure you don't want any help looking through all of these?"

Fubuki shakes her head, even as she looks tiredly at the Herculean task she has ahead.

"Thank you for the offer but... I feel like this is something I have to do."

Mutsu just nods even as Fubuki quickly leafs through the folders in first box. The Destroyer had already been nervous enough about approaching her and Nagato for help in her search hunting down what old records she had the clearance to access, even if she had the Admiral's permission to get assistance in her little quest. While Nagato never said anything, Mutsu knew her sister really felt for the poor destroyer and her strangely fruitless search for her parentage.

The second box takes slightly longer as Fubuki's eyes pass over a number of kanji and family names that should be leading up to and flanking the one she is looking for, but again there is nothing. Desperately she then quickly fingers the tabs for all the folders in the third box, praying the file she is looking for has been merely misplaced. Instead there is nothing.

Seeing Fubuki sink back into her seat in defeat, Mutsu sighs and places a hand on the Destroyer's shoulder trying to convey what hope and comfort she can.

"Don't worry Fubuki, I'm sure there's something in here. You'll find something eventually."

"Yeah... hopefully... I'm really starting to wonder if Kongou was right and I was hatched or something..."

Mutsu can't help but feel the corners of her lips tug at such a typical Kongou thing to say. The battleship must have spouted that gem during one of Fubuki's more fruitless searches to try and distract her.

"Well... there's still a lot more records to check in here, and supposedly some of the stuff right at the very back is files they saved from the old base after the attack."

Looking back at the monument to a dead forest taking up the majority of the room and the amount of time it took her to find just three boxes that turned out to be a dead end with Mutsu's help, Fubuki slumps.

"This is going to take forever to sort through."

Gazing past the the forgotten decorations and refuse of the base's past at the paperwork however, something catches Fubuki's eye. Seeing the destroyer frown and tilt her head in confusion, Mutsu follows her gaze and laughs when she sees what has attracted Fubuki's attention.

"Oh yeah, those. I'm pretty sure some of those are practically collectors items now."

Getting out of her seat and walking over to the old frames leaning against the wall, Fubuki carefully wipes away at least a decade's worth of dust to reveal the faded, but still protected poster underneath.

"That's Akagi-sempai..."

Mutsu nods, taking off her gloves to save them from the dust as she cleans up another framed recruitment poster out of curiosity and then admires the finds Fubuki has uncovered and that she overlooked.

"Oh wow, you're right. These must be even older than I thought! Zuikaku's always poking fun and bringing up some really ancient rumors and old stories that Akagi supposedly put on weight during the early half of the war and never quite lost it all, but I always thought she was exaggerating!"

Looking at the poster, Fubuki stares at the familiar and yet subtly different Akagi pictured on the ageing poster. She really does look thiner. Not in a bad way, but there's a certain slimness to her waist and face that the Akagi of now doesn't have. Fubuki then blushes and feels a hint of jealousy as she notices another part of Akagi's figure that seems to be bigger now than it was then.

"Hey, they have one with the Admiral as well."

Looking over in Mutsu's direction, she then notices the battleship seems to have cleaned up a number of the dusty old posters. There's one of Kongou by herself protecting some sort of faceless crowd with some sort of slogan at the top, another of Akagi standing back to back with a JMSDF Captain who looks a little like the Admiral in front of the bow of an old DDG, and then the one Mutsu has discovered, with the Admiral and Kaga standing resolute and dignified on the deck of a Helicopter Destroyer. Looking closer, she then notices that his uniform in the poster is only that of a captain and that there seems to be some sort of red-blue theme going on between the two posters of the captains and the carriers. Something about the posters pulls at her memory, but she finds her attention more grabbed by the Admiral's appearance.

There's almost a feeling about it that seems weird. He's aged about as much as can be expected since whenever this was taken, but... there's something more than just the uniform and age of the Admiral on the poster that's different from the Admiral she knows.

It's the way he holds himself she realises.

The man on the poster seems collected and sure about whatever he may face. The Admiral she knows however, sometimes seems like he's constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like the difference between a rock that knows it can weather the storm without issue, and an old oak tree that though still standing, is bent and bowed after the generations of storms it has survived.

"Okay, these are definitely really old. That's the JDS Kongou and JDS Kaga still with their pre-war builds!"

Turning her attention to the latest frame Mutsu has just cleaned up, Fubuki finds herself looking at a poster bearing the tag line "Keep Them Sailing!". Looking down a long pier stacked with supplies, parts, and ammunition, on the left is a DDG and on the right is a DDH, likely the ships from the previous two posters. Standing front and center in the foreground of the picture however, and backed by the stacks and piles of war materials needed to run just two ships, are five figures.

Two humans, and three kanmusu.

In the middle is Kongou looking confidant and ready to fight, while on the right is Kaga and the Admiral. Facing their opposites from Kongou's left are Akagi and the unknown captain. Squinting at the barely visible name-tag that however many years of fading have only rendered even more illegible, Fubuki almost jumps in surprise when Mutsu speaks up.

"That's the Admiral's brother..."

As she trails off quietly, something then jogs in Fubuki's memory.

 _"My brother. He died in the attack here fifteen years ago"_

"I didn't realise they all served together or for so long..."

Mutsu shrugs sadly.

"Carrier Division 1 and Kongou were some of the first to return, and the Admiral and his brother made names for themselves in the early days before kanmusu were a thing. Supposedly people used to joke that they were like the power rangers or some sort of sentai team. That was before Haruki Misaki, that was the admiral's brother, died though."

Mutsu grimaces slightly.

"Kongou is probably the only one that'll talk about him if you ask. It was before I was summoned, but everyone says Captain Misaki's death changed them all, Akagi and the Admiral in particular. Even after so long, the Admiral can be really tight lipped and private about anything concerning his brother, and supposedly Akagi refuses to talk about him at all. A lot of people reckon she might have been a little sweet on him or something, though knowing how the other four still tend to be, they were probably just really good friends. All those rumors about her gaining weight did start a while after his death, so maybe that's when she first picked up her comfort-eating habit?"

Fubuki just nods sadly and finds her mind drifting to Mutsuki and thoughts of how even if she's long gotten over her fruitless hope of waiting for Kisaragi at the docks, there is now a subtle difference in her friend who will still sometimes be overcome or effected by random moments and reminders of Kisaragi's loss.

Absently, her gaze drifts over the features of the long dead captain. Obviously the younger of the two brothers, even in this serious P.R. piece the man exudes an air of dashing confidence along with the looks to match, tempered with a wily intelligence that gleams in his eyes.

Fubuki then pauses, though she can't figure out why.

"Oh this is so neat, check out this one."

Putting the thought of Haruki Misaki and his eyes that seem familiar despite being different from his brother's out of her mind, Fubuki turns her curious gaze to the newest poster Mutsu has unearthed from the dusty covering it had been coated in...

* * *

Later that night, in the middle of brushing her teeth Fubuki pauses.

Looking at herself in the mirror she frowns.

Tilting her head to one side and then the other, the feeling of oddness remains.

Leaning forwards until she is looking her reflection dead in the eyes, she still can't put her finger on what seems so odd about her image.

Finally giving up, she shrugs and goes back to brushing her teeth.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dream**

"THE POWER OF THE STAR COMPELS YOU!"

Almost going cross-eyed before stepping back from the lapel shoved in his face, Daisuke then rolls his eyes and gestures at his own shoulders in turn.

"News-flash genius, they gave both of us promotions. And we don't even use stars anyway."

"Shut up, let me have my moment."

Moving past Daisuke into their quarters (ha, implying Haruki doesn't sexile him half the time these days), the older of the two brothers watches the younger spin on his heel and drop onto his bed, a stupid grin etched on his face.

"Can you believe it Dai? We're freaking flag-rankers now!"

Daisuke shrugs noncommittally.

"Honestly, I think I'd be happier as a skipper. Have you seen the amount work they have Rear-Admirals actually do? Before the war I was happy just stopping at Captain. Besides, even if we're finally officially replacing poor Sato, Vice Admiral Tanaka's _still_ going to be our superior anyway. It's really just an official blessing to do what we've actually already been doing anyway, and extra rank-associated hassles to deal with on top of everything else.

Haruki just laughs.

"And that's why they're promoting you. Because they know _you_ won't kick up a fuss or keep trying to climb once this is all over and they boot you back down to your boat. I'm just along for the ride because we've both proven to be too competent for our own good. And also probably because "Captain and Admiral Misaki" doesn't have as much of a ring as "The Captains Misaki". Or "The Admirals Misaki" now really."

Looking back at his brother and noticing the fact that Daisuke is _still_ grimacing at the mention of JDS Kaga's current state of available captaincy, Haruki then starts laughing once more.

"Come on bro, it's not like she's going to get sunk the instant she's in someone else's hands."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You _trust_ Chiyohiko, so Kongou's in good hands. Kaga's _my_ ship and in case you haven't noticed, we're kind of strapped for good promotable officers right now. I don't want her to end up in the grubby mitts of some sort of brown nosing incompetent like Suzuya. Asahina wouldn't have been to bad if she was still around, but she has a kid on the way now, so that means Mori is probably the best guy for Kaga right now. I swear though, if something happens to her, the first thing I'm going to do with this promotion is use it to put my foot so far up his- what?"

Frowning at Haruki's mirth and the realisation that he's been pacing without realising it, the younger of the two shakes his head.

"You sound like a dad deciding which of his daughter's boyfriends is the one he least wants to take out into the woods and stick in a shallow grave. I swear you treat that ship like she's your baby."

Rolling his eyes, Daisuke can't help but sigh and admit the truth to that statement.

"I guess I do. After all that's happened, I don't want to see something shitty happen to her after she managed to get me and my crew this far. And... well, some kanmusu seem to retain at least glimpses of memory from their previous service, and I guess I'd be lying if I didn't say I entertained the notion that I wanted to do good by her if she ever does end up coming back. We already have her namesake after all. Kaga would probably only be available long after I'm gone though if the time periods the summonings so far seem to reach is any indication."

"You know the war could long be over by then, right?"

"Good. I fucking well hope it is by then. That means whether she gets kept as a museum ship or ends up sent to the breakers, she won't have to fight and can have peace."

Glancing at Haruki, Dai then feels a grin tug at the corners of his lips.

"Not needing to summon her would also mean there wouldn't be any risk of her being knocked up by lovestruck idiot captains."

Haruki mimes being shot in the heart, even as he takes Daisuke's words for the jest that they are.

"Low blow bro! That's _handsome_ , lovestruck idiot captain to you!"

"True. God knows I'd probably start doing measurable RPMs in whatever hole in the ground they stick me in if she ends up playing disco-stick with some sort of future equivalent of that ugly bastard Rin."

"Urgh, TMI man."

Faux-gagging at the thought of the old captain with a face only a mother could love from their officer days, Haruki eventually just settles back to grinning as Daisuke takes a seat on the bed opposite his.

"You know, the nice thing about us being Flag now is that even with all the housing issues, now they definitely have no excuse to keep doubling us like this."

"Yeah, you're staying by the way."

"What?! But I hate this room!"

"And I feel like I need to use gloves and windex every time I need to touch something not on my side of the room these days. Or any part of the room really."

"We're not that bad..."

"My broken chair begs to differ. And my now wobbly desk. And the dent on my footlocker. And the duct-tape holding my bookshelf together. And my busted spare belt, which frankly I don't know whether impresses or scares me, even if it was one ti-"

"You're an asshole."

Now it's Daisuke's turn to laugh at his brother's expense.

"I like to think I'm just getting experience for when I'm an uncle."

Haruki raises an eyebrow.

"Really? And enlighten me how that works?"

Daisuke grins.

"It's simple. I'm going to be the awesome fun kind. The one who's responsible and helpful enough you need me around and can't complain when I show up, but full of great stories and entertaining parables filled with worldly wisdom usually gained from watching your screw ups."

"I so badly want to point out the flaws in that plan, like how you are way too much of a stick-in-the-mud to ever be anything approaching fun to anybody you have an inkling you should actually be setting an example around... but then, I already know Kongou's going to take to that job with gusto and there's nothing I'll be able to do about it."

At the mere thought of "Kongou the Aunt", both brothers break out with laughter.

Settling into an amicable silence, eventually it is Daisuke who breaks it, sounding unexpectedly contemplative and thoughtful.

"You know... I always figured you would be the one to do this sort of thing first..."

"You always figured I'd knock up the ship-spirit-woman of a 75 year old aircraft carrier?"

Daisuke lobs a pillow at his brother's head and otherwise pretends to ignore that comment as he continues.

"Even if it's _different_ from what I imagined, I always felt like you would be the one to actually settle down or have a kid first."

"Not to burst your fantasy, but this isn't exactly how I imagined it going either."

Chuckling at Haruki's grin, Daisuke smiles, sharing in the contemplative silence as their humor quietens once more.

"You know what... say the war did end? Say it ended tomorrow even? We all woke up and the Abyssals are defeated. What _would_ you want to do tomorrow?"

Now it's Haruki's turn to chuckle.

"What would I want to do if the war ended? That's pretty simple. I dream of it sometimes..."

His gaze going distant, Daisuke resists the urge to laugh as Haruki's smile goes sappy.

"I'd take a desk posting."

Daisuke raises an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah. If it means I can be closer to Akagi and the baby, gladly. You on the other hand, no matter how I picture it, I know that by hook or crook, you're going back to your boat. The only way you'll ever stay on land permanently is if they stick you in a box, but I just know you'd rather have your ass barbecued, stuck in a pot and then thrown overboard if you last that long. But until then, you'll be around. You've spent the entirety of my life nosing into my business, so why stop now?"

"It's like you don't even know me anymore."

Haruki graciously ignores him.

"I want us to be somewhere near the coast. Maybe even beach front if we can completely stop the Abyssals. The ocean's too much a part of both of us, and it probably will be for the kid. I can't imagine either of them away from the sea... A yacht would be nice. Not a big one. Just something big enough to fish off and maybe work by myself so we can go out with Akagi sometimes. I guess if Akagi really wants to splurge, we could get something just big enough to take everyone sailing or out for lunch from time to time. Maybe we could be wherever you decide to home port Kaga. Alternately, we'd want to be near _Kaga_ -Kaga and Kongou. Being near all three of you would be great. And Hoshou as well. You could all be around more and... well... I guess I would feel safer about Akagi and the kid being on the coast if the rest of you guys are still there... somehow. Even just being close enough that you guys could come around from time to time on leave though..."

His smile now bordering on the extremes of sappy, Haruki looks at his brother with a small amount of embarrassment, reminding his Dausuke of occasions in their childhood when a more headstrong Haruki would sometimes grudgingly have to ask for "big brother's help".

"You may be an over-protective, no-fun, stick-in-the-mud of a brother... But I want you in her life. To be to her, what you've always tried to be to me, even when I didn't want it. I want her to trust you when she reaches that point where listening to parents is for chumps. I want her to love you when Akagi and I inevitably mess up over some silly issue and she hates our guts for a weekend. And I guess since Akagi's so sure it'll be a girl, I also want someone to help inevitably beat back the boys and look intimidating when the time comes. It helps you'll no doubt have the DDH back. And the Helicopters."

Daisuke starts chuckling and smiles at Haruki's stream of consciousness, while also to hide how right now he actually feels a little overwhelmed. Haruki really thinks that much of him?

Still, being able to have the best of both worlds? Family and duty?

"That sounds nice..."

Haruki grins.

"So what would you do if the war ended tomorrow?"

Thinking for a moment, Daisuke then shakes his head.

"You know, if you had asked me that question five minutes ago, I honestly wouldn't have had a clue beyond "get back Kaga". Now though..."

Looking at his brother, Daisuke smiles as tentative thoughts of the future are entertained in his mind.

"I think I can imagine a dream I wouldn't mind seeing myself having a part in..."

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.


	11. Chapter 11

**Indestructible**

'With Age comes Wisdom,' the saying goes. And on the whole, that proverb seems to hold truth. In my first life, I was the oldest active ship in the Imperial Navy, and by the end I was fully aware of the events of history I was mixed up in, but I couldn't affect any of it. I've subtly asked other Kanmusu about their own memories, and very precious few have even so much as a vague recollection of even a major engagement. Meanwhile, I can remember the faces and names of the thousands of boys that made up my crew, of fighting the Americans off Samar, and the struggle to contain my flooding right up to the end. And I found that the collective life experiences of being crewed for some thirty years gave me an... Understanding, of how things work. When I first made this revelation, I noticed that I had a choice: Use this knowledge of how people think and act and how the Universe works for the betterment of my fellows... Or be an ice cold, selfish little bint, focused only on The Mission.

To be fair, I sometimes need to let my Inner Bitch run the show, but that's usually during the hard battles, like at the beginning of things. However, the other kanmusu are lost in this new time, and sometimes they need a little... _Push_ in the right direction, so that they can find their way again. In other words... They need a Big Sis. And unless or until Mikasa pops up, I'm afraid I'm the best option.

I realize how that sounds, but really the next best option is Hosho. Don't get me wrong: Air Boatmom is Bestmom, but there are some things that you can go to a Big Sis for help with that you just can't with a Mom.

Which segways into the meat of the matter that you are clearly interested in: Akagi, Bucky, and their little Drama. Bless their hearts.

I wasn't there yet when Akagi and Kaga were summoned. Mine came a couple months later. However, I _was_ there when Akagi and Haruki met. He saw her first, in the cafeteria (with a pistol! But seriously, this was in the ye olde days before the budget could afford proper accommodations -more on that later - so Mamiya's wasn't in existence yet... The struggle could not have been more real). The look on his face made it clear as day what was going through his mind: "Oh shit she's _HOT!_ ...I wonder what her tits feel like. ...Does she have a nice ass?"

I spent thirty years with thousands of horny boys ages 17 to 30 crawling through my innards, spending weeks or months at a time without even the smell of a woman anywhere nearby. Yes, I know what they think. And do. Even the ones that tell their girls that the first thing they thought about them was 'such a pretty face.' Even if it's the truth, it sure as Hell ain't the _only_ thing.

The Captain and the Carrier hit it off... Well, I'd say great, but that's a cliché. They got along about as well as any man and woman would when they know they have to work together. But the younger Misaki had a sensitivity about him. His brother likely never noticed, but he empathized with us Kanmusu in a way that the other humans couldn't... No, _wouldn't_. After all, they know what we are, and the thought that we might not be any different from the Abyssals we fought scared them.

And I don't blame them. Let's be honest, I can be pretty sketchy sometimes.

But Haruki didn't care. He saw us as ships... But also as women. I honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop on Haruki's little "Weapons don't cry" speech, but that victory celebration was pretty boring, I didn't have my sisters with me yet, Kaga was a total wet blanket, and frankly watching the budding romance was the closest thing I had to entertainment before the Admiral got us some damned Internet. And so I bore witness to Akagi getting her first... Er... "Grown-Up Craving." And not for the normal sort of food.

Wink wink.

And so things went, watching them flirt a little, watching Haruki fiddle his way around the little Fraternization question in his noggin, and them trying to be discreet. Honestly if it weren't for me Buki would've never been born. But at last, Haruki Misaki finally completed the Julius Ceaser Triad with the arcadian plains of Akagi's thighs: He saw, he conquered, he came.

Yes, I know what I said.

Boy that was a rough night. See, the budget for Kanmusu accommodations back in the day was shoe-string. Part of it was out of the bean-counters not getting it, but also because, after the better part of two years of constant raids and sea borne attacks from the Abyssals, there was a need for construction money everywhere at once. But that doesn't change the fact that I could hear every bump, thump, grind and word passed between those two. Hell, with just half a centimeter of balsa wood and two sheets of wallpaper separating us, I could've given those two advice so that they'd not be so awkward. But the First Time between two virgins is a sacred thing. Maybe the next time around. But either way, I couldn't let them continue. As they had that is. No way was I going to cockblock anybody. Well, intentionally at least. But for one thing, I needed my damned beauty sleep. For a second, if they didn't keep aware of what was going on around them, they'd be caught with their pants down. And so I gave a gentle reminder.

 _"Captain Misaki?"_

 _Haruki Misaki turned to find Kongo, dark bags under her eyes, walking down the stoop for the Kanmusu dorms._

 _"About last night..."_

 _The young man's eyes widened, his skin paled, and his Adam's Apple bobbed. This was it. His life was officially over, he and Akagi would no longer have a chance to be together ever again... But then the sleepy battleship smiled, and shoved a thumbs up in his face._

 _"GOOD JOB!"_

 _"W-what?"_

 _"I have to say, you have good endurance and a strong back for a human! But in the future, could the two of you be a little quieter? Or at least get a room with some damned soundproofing? I would really appreciate it."_

 _"Umm... S-sure?"_

 _"WONDERFUL! NOW! If you'll excuse me, I need to take a nap before I fall flat on my face."_

 _And with that the British returnee walked back inside, leaving a thoroughly confused, and embarrassed, MSDF captain behind._

After that I was able to sleep... And I got to play the "What Place Has the Couple Defiled" game! I've so far managed to identify four rooms: The Library, the Rec Room, the Linen Closet, and finally - and when I figured this out I gave the couple a standing ovation, and the man a posthumous salute - The Admiral's Office. Even today, I haven't been able to figure out the _how_ , and I've figured out how to slip into the In-Between Space! I'm waiting for the perfect moment to tell Daisuke he's signing forms in the same spot where Akagi... But I digress.

At any rate, like all good things, it had to come to an end.

At first I thought I saw the end in sight when Akagi was pregnant. Yes, I figured it out right around the time Akagi did. And no it wasn't due to her getting sick in the morning, or eating weird things. Although yes, she did have pickles and ice cream once. But then, all of us summoned Kanmusu have experimented now and again - Taste is a fun sense! But no, the signs I caught onto were the signs most either pass over, or don't know about. For example, her ankles and feet swelled, and over the course of a month her boobs swelled two full cup sizes, and they haven't gone down since. Eventually she was starting to change her bath schedule so that she'd not enter or leave when others were around, and taking extra pains to avoid damage while on sortie. Then she started wearing baggier clothing. It was only a matter of time, so I started to arrange the chess pieces so that, when the bun in the oven was discovered, the couple wouldn't have to be separated. A conversation with the Admiral at the time concerning love here, an "idle comment" about Kanmusu having families to a sympathetic assemblyman visiting the base there, an online petition or three to relax the Anti-Fraternization Laws... But then... Well, it's war. Things happen.

He's dead. Officially. Akagi doesn't know this - and I will _castrate_ anybody who tells her - but I found only his left hand, still clutching his regulation semi-automatic pistol, and not a single bullet was left in the clip. That's just like Haruki, to go down fighting. However, sometimes even I with to think he's been taken captive. It would just be too... Simple, if he was merely dead. To open and shut for the story to be that cut and dry. But... But the story has been written, and it cannot be changed.

Akagi... Bless her. She was so brave, even when she opened her clothes to show Hosho and the Admiral her growing belly, almost six months baking. If the earthquake of 1923 had never happened, she'd have a Big Sis of her own to comfort her. But Hosho and me, we did our best.

I remember when little Fubuki was born. Akagi named me the Godmother, but I'm pretty sure no court in the world would accept that decision, because Akagi was high off her tits on anesthetic gas at the time. When the birth was over, I helped the nurses clean her up, check on her vitals, put her in her first diaper and little hat Hosho had knitted for her. The nurse wrapped her up so tightly in that little blanket. I picked her up, and _looked_ at her. I could tell, as one kanmusu to another, just who she was. A destroyer, Fubuki-class, the inspiration for a whole generation of that ship type the world over.

And Holy Hell was she ever a screamer.

The navy left Akagi and her baby alone for almost a month. I don't know if the men on high were just being nice to the young mother and bastard (don't give me that look! I'm using the word correctly!), or if it just took that long to figure out their options... When Akagi announced to our little group about giving up little Bucky... Well, on one hand, it broke my heart. I wouldn't get to be the fun aunt and babysitter. And Akagi was setting herself up for a long, hard life dreaming of Coulda Been-Shoulda Been. However, I knew as she did that... That with a wee one back on base, she would always have her mind divided between her baby and the mission, whatever that mission happened to be. And while on patrol or underway, any distraction, any hesitation, would be a killer, not only for you, but to those around you. And then little Bucky would truly be an orphan.

Giving her up was a kindness. And Kind is not always the same as Nice. Sometimes, the cruelest thing you can do to a person is be Nice to them.

But the years went on. Our numbers grew, sometimes in surprising ways (Hell- _OOOO_ Musashi!), and the Abyssal War has... Not stagnated, but certainly fallen into a lull. And Bucky has come a-calling. Looking for Mommy. Bless her heart. I suspected this would happen of course, the orphan quest is one of the oldest in the book. But I only had the "in" to learn when she was looking for records. She was so frustrated she didn't even care about me finding out.

 _"I don't get it Kongo-san! The orphanage records say I was born on base here! Why don't they have my birth certificate?"_

 _I feigned a shocked gasp. "Maybe you weren't born at all Bucky!"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Maybe you were hatched!"_

 _The look on her face. Priceless._

 _"Don't worry Bucky. It will turn up. Someday. Maybe in a SURPRISING PLACE."_

I don't like lying to the girl... But I know where it is. Akagi keeps it under her floor, along with pictures of her breastfeeding Bucky, her and Haruki, Haruki's promotion portrait, and a letter from Bucky's orphanage letting her know the baby is safe and happy. Honestly of all the places to hide such incriminating evidence, under your bed? For months now, Akagi has been missing, or perhaps simply ignoring, ideal opportunities to let it all go. It's pretty obvious that, unless cornered in a way she can't maneuver her way out of it, Akagi's mouth will be eternally shut.

This. Can _not_. Stand.

With Second Midway fought and won, and a major sea-link now secured across the Pacific to Hawaii, now is the perfect time to get the drama and fallout of certain information getting out sorted before the next major operation can begin. And so once again, I've taken to arranging the pieces, making the reveal not only happen, but in a way that will be most advantageous. There won't be an easy way to reveal it to Bucky, not after all this time of letting it sit and... Well, lying to her. She'll be hurt about that, but the damage can still be fixed. And so I talked to Daisuke about deployments and time tables here, mentioned how nice and respectful Bucky is to Nachi there, finagled Carrier Division One to take our spot on the patrol roster this time around, and BOOM! It's clean up time at Yokosuka before our annual inspection! Oh no! Akagi and Kaga's room hasn't been taken care of yet! Better get someone to do it before tonight. How about Fubuki? She'll do it no question! And thus was Bucky voluntold for clean up detail in the carrier dorms.

Riiight where she can find some incriminating evidence about who her Mommy and Daddy are. And just when the fleet will be pulling into port too! O MAI!

That's where the destroyer is at the moment. My sisters and I are currently having Tea Time with Shokaku and Zuikaku, and it was Kirishima's turn to brew the tea. A pity. Hiei is a horrid cook (seriously, what the Hell did she dump into that curry soup during the contest? Industrial waste?), but she can brew tea like a master, with Darjeeling being her specialty. Kirishima however... Sorry, but no, and her black tea is her worst. And what's really sad is that's what she brews the most because she knows it's my favorite. Oh dear. And Big Sis can't just up and call her tea skills a disaster, so I just grin and bare it... With a little help from Admiral Jellico Rum (tm) I keep in a little flask in my Secret Pocket. You know, for Rum Emergencies. Such as Horribad Tea.

And oh look, Akagi has returned! Let us watch the proceedings shall we?

"Hello everyone! Nachi, sorry I'm late, but I'll get started on cleaning my room out right now."

"Oh don't worry about it Akagi, we've taken care of it."

"Hmm?"

What's this? A faint hesitation, a touch of sweat at the temple? Akagi you have gotten so good at fibbing, but you still are not as good at hiding your emotions as much as you'd like to think.

"Yeah, Fubuki's been a big help today, she ought to be wrapping any minute now. Hmm... Odd, she ought to be done by now actually..."

It's probably nothing. Just, you know, facing life-shattering revelations about her family. No biggy. Well, unless you're Akagi.

"Wh-what? Fu-fubuki? N-no... No, oh no! Oh please no! No _no_ _ **no!**_ "

Aaaannnnnd there she goes, running up the stairs, shaking the building like a freight train passing by.

We all looked on in worry.

"What was that about I wonder?" Shokaku asked.

"Pft, probably afraid Fubuki will find her potato chip stash or something."

I'll admit, I have to smile at that. As if Akagi could keep food around long enough to _make_ a stash. Zuikaku is always good for fun at Carrier Division One's expense. But thoughts of that are put aside at the sound of more thudding feet and a shaking building. Without so much as a look around her, Fubuki comes running down the stairs, tears in her eyes, and runs out the door. And unless my eyes deceive me, in her gut decision to run, she forgot to let go of what appears to be a certain document of birth.

Everyone is frozen for a moment, except for me. I put down my scone and stood up.

"I'm sorry girls, but you will have to finish up without me. I need to get to the bottom of this."

No one second guesses me as I leave. For I have used my Big Sis voice. Bucky will be hurt and confused. Confusion makes people afraid. And fear makes you angry. Anger makes you say and do things that you will regret for life. This long overdue talk will be hard on them both. Having Bucky be antagonistic will just make things worse. And so, I'll talk to her first. Have her burn through that anger. Then I'll remind her of the kind of person Akagi is. Let her know that Akagi has her reasons. And that, if she will listen, Akagi will tell her. Especially now that the choice is taken out of her hands. Why am I doing this you ask? Well, remember me talking about knowing what was going on... But not being able to do anything about it?

Yeah. _Fuck. That. Shit._ I am now not only fully aware of what is going on, but I can now _do_ something about it. I refuse to sit back and watch things go to shit now.

Akagi will be very upset with me no doubt. But that too shall pass. Especially once everyone calms down. Because Bucky is a good girl, and a smart girl. She will understand... Eventually.

But first, she needs the affection and ear of her Big Sis. And I will give it to her... After I polish off the rum in my flask. No way in Hell am I going to go into this conversation totally sober.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by myself.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Blizzard Awakens**

 _"I'm sorry, but we have to send you away, little one," she said._

 _I could only stand there as she kissed my forehead and walked away._

 _"Wait, Mom…" I lunged forward, hoping I could catch up with her._

 _She turned around and smiled at me, yet the faster I ran, the farther away she became. "I'll always love you…"_

 _"Mom! Don't leave me here!" I cried out to her._

 _With all the strength in my legs, I sprinted forward to catch up with the brown-haired woman I could only recognize as my mother. Shimakaze would certainly be jealous, if only my mother's stationary figure wasn't leaving as fast as I was running._

 _"Mom, please don't go!"_

 _A pair of enormous gloved hands reached out from behind me, seizing my body in its tightening grip._

 _"Mom, help me! Mom, save me please!" I called out to her as the hands dragged me away from her._

 _"Mom!" I sobbed, trying to pry the fingers apart so I could run again. "Please don't leave me, mom…"_

" _Mom!"_ I yelled as I shot up from my bed, soaked in a river of sweat.

That nightmare again. Again. The word causes me to seize up and fall back onto my pillow. Ever since I became a ship girl, I haven't had that dream for a long time. Some first dream of the new year that was.

"Fubuki-chan, are you all right?" Mutsuki asked as she peeked into my bunk.

"I'm fine…just a bad dream," I responded. "I'll catch up with you guys later. I need a moment."

My red-haired friend nodded assent, leaving the room with Yuudachi.

That dream. I hate it. An amalgamation of my earliest memories, the exaggerations of REM sleep, and my own insecurities. Still, I haven't had it for quite some time, so I was probably overdue for it anyway.

At this point, my morning routine was simple: wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth, change my clothes, eat breakfast, find my parents, go for a run, and stand by for sortie. Simple. Today had a new target for the 'find my parents' step: the naval base hospital. I had already combed the files of the Yokosuka naval base's administrative building. The well of names I was faced with ran bone dry, as many personnel with the name "Yamashita" did not have a daughter named Yuki, did not have any children, or were obviously too young to have me as a daughter. The only reason I didn't look at the hospital first was practicality. Well, actually I did look at it first, but the staff there told me I needed permission due to patient confidentiality. I can understand that.

After trying the hospital when I first got here, I resorted to government records and personnel lists. I didn't want to bother the Commander with what may be to him a trivial pursuit in the grand scheme of things. If he may be, in fact, gung-ho about helping me, I don't want him to use his position as an admiral to find my parents. I would appreciate the help, but this is something I know I have to do on my own. Besides, he has the Abyssal Fleet to worry about, not me. Kongou-san and Houshou-san have been very supportive of me in this quest. Sometimes Houshou-san would treat me to some food or toss a few yen my way or give me a lap pillow. She really is the fleet's mother. If, by any chance, I fail at finding my parents, I wouldn't mind having her as a surrogate mother figure. I would say grandmother, but I know what happens when you bring up her age in front of her. Not a pretty sight. You should know that already, Yuudachi-chan. Kongou-san, on the other hand, was like a big sister to me through and through. Always a shoulder to cry on when the emotions get the better of me. But one conversation we had last month really stood out.

" _HEY Bucky! You leafing through the files again, desu?" she announced, grasping my attention within seconds. How did she find out?_

 _I looked up from the file folder I picked up, nearly crumpling it in my grasp. "Kongou-san…"_

 _"What? Bucky, is something wrong?" she asked me._

 _"I just don't get it, Kongou-san! The orphanage records say I was born here! Why don't they have my birth certificate?" I nearly screamed at her, but I held my voice in._

 _The battleship gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "Maybe you weren't born at all, Bucky!"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Maybe you were hatched!" she exclaimed._

 _I stared at her, mouth agape and eyes as wide as dinner plates. The only thing that left my mouth was a low drawl._

 _Kongou smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a thumbs up. "JOKE, desu. Don't worry, Bucky. It will turn up. Someday. Maybe in a SURPRISING PLACE."_

To this day, I don't know what she meant by that. A surprising place?

Anyway, I digress. Today, I paid a visit to the Commander's office and managed to score a clearance slip to present to the hospital staff. To quote him, it's "to get a list of female children born in that hospital on any given date within one month of [my] birthday." He also elaborated further that because of patient privacy laws, I'm not allowed to ask for information on any name on that list except for my own. Specifically, "Yuki Yamashita". I heartily agreed with that sentiment. I mean, why would I look up any name other than my own at this point? Besides, it's not like "Yuki Yamashita" isn't my real name.

After presenting the slip to the hospital staff, the nurse behind the computer presented me with a single-paper list of names and told us to come back if I find what I'm looking for. I bowed in thanks, leaving the hospital to go on my daily run. As I headed toward the parade grounds, I read through the list of names I was given. It was really short, like nine names. I didn't expect much anyway. This hospital is on a military base and mainly deals with members of the military or dependents, not much civilians. And this list is culled to just October, November, and December of my birth year. My first thought was "Damn, Japan's birth rate is really going down." I read through the list, trying to find my name.

Ando Madoka, 12/17…

Asahina Karen, 10/22…

Chiyohiko Sakura, 11/30…

Fukuyama Aoi, 12/25…

Furusho Hana, 11/6…

Misaki Fubuki, 11/15…

Sekigawa Yukari, 12/31…

Sakai Naoko, 11/20…

Toyama Sanae, 10/8…

It's not here. My name isn't on the list. My heart shattered. My last rays of hope crumbled into a million pieces. I crumpled up the paper in a fit of rage and threw it like an expert fastball into the trash receptacle near me.

Damn it! Damn it! It's not here either! The only girl listed as born on my birthday was this "Fubuki Misaki" person! An idea struck my mind faster than one of my own torpedoes. Wait…maybe I can contact her. It shouldn't be too hard, right? I don't want to do this, but I could ask Commander Misaki to get me her information. A phone number should be enough. Odds are, if she was born the exact same day as me at the same hospital, her parents could have met mine. The hospital has a single nursery ward, which means that the two of us and our parents must have been in the same room at one point. Even if her parents only remember mine as brief memories, it would be the best link I would have to them so far. Unless we were born at different times of day, this Fubuki person should be my best bet.

I'll have to admit though, it really is a coincidence that that girl's named Fubuki and I'm going by that same name while on base. But something feels off. I don't know what. My first thought went to her family name. Misaki. I wonder if she's related to him.

As I stretched my legs before my run (I don't want my muscles to hurt tomorrow), I heard the loud whine of the base speaker systems.

"Attention, all base personnel," Ooyodo announced over the airwaves, "I would like to take the moment to wish you all a happy new year. Now, as you are all aware, with the new year comes the annual inspection from headquarters. We are expecting the inspection team in two days, so please prepare accordingly. Also, a special message from the Admiral. Due to exhaustion and minor smoke inhalation involving last night's fireworks celebration, Battleship Division 3 will be switched out with Carrier Division One for today's patrol. He also emphasizes that otoshidama is limited to those under eighteen years old, destroyers, and certain light cruisers. Please line up in an orderly manner to receive them. On that note, we would like to thank Mamiya and Houshou for volunteering their restaurant's coupons instead of the standard new year's money. Those not on patrol today are advised to clean your rooms in preparation for the inspection. Once you are finished, notify one of your seniors for them to review. We would like to wish you all good luck this coming year and have a safe and happy new year."

So much for getting the commander's help. Today, anyway. I'll ask him about it tomorrow.

After running five laps, I fished the crumpled sheet of paper out of the trash can and returned to my room. I took a highlighter out from one of my drawers and highlighted the name that interested me. I folded it neatly, ironing out the wrinkles in the paper using the edge of my desk. With this new information in my head, I headed to the utility closet down the hall to get what we needed to clean our room. Buckets, cloth, some Windex, a broom, a dustpan, and a feather duster. On my way back, I met up with Mutsuki and Yuudachi, who helped me carry it to our room.

Five thousand yen says that if I do manage to find my parents are still alive, my mom would complain about the way I make my bed. After all this time in a military setting, I couldn't make my bed to save my life. After taking our sheets down to the laundry room to get them washed, Mutsuki and Yuudachi assigned me to make the beds while they swept the floors and wiped down the windows respectively. If only they knew I didn't know how to do hospital corners. Back at the orphanage in landlocked Gunma Prefecture, I would sleep on a futon. Not the most comfortable, mind you, but when you share a room with five other kids and the orphanage is on a tight budget, they have to make cuts somewhere. And that somewhere was Western-style beds.

"Fubuki-chan, you're doing It wrong, poi," Yuudachi commented. "Want to switch?"

I stared at the bedsheet I sloppily tucked underneath my mattress. The wrinkled corners could be seen a mile away. See, this was why I never volunteered for bed duty back in Kure. And why whenever it was my turn, our dorm failed inspection. Sorry, Miyuki and Shirayuki.

"Yes, please," I responded to the blonde girl's inquiry. She handed me her cleaning rag and smiled at me.

Hour by hour passed as we cleaned our room. After a lunch made of a rice ball fused with a slice of fried luncheon meat, we went back to cleaning our room while the fairies spruced up our equipment. Around two o'clock, we were as done cleaning as can be. The interior of the room sparkled in more ways than one. The bedsheets were wrapped around our mattresses like Christmas presents. So that's what hospital corners are. Mutsuki and Yuudachi volunteered to return the cleaning supplies while I reported to Nachi, who was the senior assigned to this floor for the duration of the cleaning.

"Nachi-senpai," I saluted to her, "We've finished cleaning."

Nachi, unlike Ashigara, is one of the heavy cruisers on base I look up to. According to my senpai ranking, she would be a B-, just under Atago and Takao, but higher than Myoukou. Definitely higher than her sister Ashigara, though. Ashigara scares me a little, not just because of the "Hungry Wolf" moniker.

Yeah, that's right. I have a system for which senpai is better than the other. Akagi-senpai is an AA+. Laugh it up, get it out of your system.

Back to Nachi, after the Second Midway Operation, I was placed in her squadron for a patrol. With us was Kasumi, Hatsushimo, Ushio, and Akebono for a joint operation between Yokosuka, Sasebo, and Kure. After Akebono called the Commander a piece of shit a few times, we headed off to Bashi Island to transport bauxite. While we were there, a Ri-class heavy cruiser slammed a shell into my side, knocking me away. Luckily for me, I wasn't seriously hurt, but the impact gave me a twisted ankle. Nachi jumped between me and the enemy fleet, even though it was supposed to be my job to protect her. During the night battle, she slammed her Type 93 torpedoes and accurate gunfire into the Wo-class flagship. With her help and Akebono's, I was towed back to base to recover. Nevertheless, it was a successful operation. Since then, I looked up to her. Not to the extent as Akagi-senpai, Kaga-san, and the Kongou class but still up there.

The heavy cruiser smiled at me. "Great. I'll check it out now. I won't doubt you were able to get your racks squared away."

"Yes of course!" I confirmed with her.

"Oh yeah. One more thing: Carrier Division One isn't going to be back until sunset and their room hasn't been cleaned yet. Do you mind taking care of it for them?"

Nachi wants me to clean Akagi-senpai's room? "I-I wouldn't mind, at all!" I answered.

"Good. Hop to it so you can get to dinner before they get back." She tossed me a small yellow key connected to a metallic leek-shaped keychain. "Remember to give the key back to the admiral when you're done, and let Houshou-san know you've finished so she can inspect it." She patted my shoulder and waved at me as she walked off to inspect the room. "Catch you later, Fubuki."

"Y-Yes!"

With a new pep in my step, I literally bounced over to the carrier dorms, the key jingling in my hands. I raided the supply closet nearest her room for the same tools as before. I tuned the key to unlock the room and was greeted by the sight of a room not unlike what Mutsuki, Yuudachi, and I have. Triple bunk beds nestled in a corner of the room, an elevated floor covered with tatami mats, a desk, and some cabinets. It was arguably tidier than our room, but new year's cleaning is still new year's cleaning. I grabbed a spray bottle full of Windex and got to work.

And so, here I am, two hours later, cleaning Akagi-senpai's room. Ah, Akagi-senpai's room! It's like a dream…It's like a dream! Right, I have to do my best!

" _Fubuki-san, you cleaned my room?" Akagi asked me as I finished wiping off a smudge of dirt from the floor._

 _"Yes! I did my best!" I answer, saluting in front of the shiniest room the two of us have ever seen._

 _"Good job, Fubuki-san." She pets my head and smiles at me. "You're my favorite destroyer."_

 _"T-Thank you, senpai…" I stumble over the words, giddy at her praise._

I snap out of my imagination, knowing full well that if I just stand around fantasizing it isn't going to come true. I finish wiping down the wooden beds and begin to sweep the floors. There sure is a lot of dust under the bed. I'm just glad it isn't mold or I'm going to be here a lot longer... Mold?

Oh shit, the tatami! I have to clean that or it'll get moldy! I remember, back at the Gunma orphanage, all of us kids were in charge of cleaning at New Years while the caretakers made food for us. I didn't clean the tatami mat like I was supposed to and it got all moldy! The caretakers were so pissed off because little Ryuto-kun got sick from the mold. They grounded me for a week. I don't know how it works at other orphanages, but the caretakers had a real hand-on approach and acted like parents for us until we were adopted. We were treated like their grandchildren.

With the futon already set on the unused beds by Akagi-san and Kaga-san, I pick up one of the mats and set it aside so I can get it cleaned. As I pick up the center mat, a brown manila folder falls to my feet the moment I set the mat aside.

"What's this?" I ask as I pick it up. "Ah, it must go on the shelf, I think." I turn around to place the file folder on the shelf when a small picture wafts down onto my feet.

I recognize it as I pick it up. I'm not the brightest when it comes to medicine, but I'm pretty sure it's a picture of an ultrasound. The image of a small baby and an umbilical cord could be seen in the photograph. I wonder why Akagi-senpai has this. Ah, right! It could be hers! I open up the folder to put the picture back in, but what I see I will remember for the rest of my life.

On top of the pile of papers rests an official portrait of an officer. I recognize him. Commander Misaki's brother. That stern face, ready for something to happen. I remember how Mutsu showed me the poster of him back when we were looking around storage. Why would Akagi-senpai have this picture in her room?

I set the picture aside and move on to the next one. My eyes widen as I saw the visage of the same man hugging Akagi-senpai from behind. Akagi-senpai…she looks a little thinner than she does now. So they…were in love? It's the only reason why she would have his picture here with her! I look at the next picture in the folder and blush. Akagi-senpai was breastfeeding a little baby.

"Eh?! Seriously?! Akagi-senpai had a baby?!" I nearly screamed.

How? Seriously, how? She never said anything about having a child!

Waitwaitwaitwait…ship girls can have babies in the first place?! I had no idea!

Right now, my intuition is yelling at me. _"Don't look! Something's very wrong here!"_ But, in my damned curiosity, I turn to the next item in the folder. A birth certificate with a certain name.

Fubuki Misaki.

That name again. She must be the girl Akagi-senpai gave birth to. Something doesn't feel right. Red flags in my head are popping up faster than I can take them down. Sure, Akagi-senpai had a baby. Born in the same date in the same hospital as me. But it's ridiculous! There are babies born the same day in the same hospital after all. It's not like it's super rare or something. I pick up the birth certificate to look at it closely when another piece of paper falls on the ground.

It had flowery stationary, neatly written by the hands of an elder and was aged with time. Printed on the header was a name I recognized. "Sato's Home for Orphans," it read. The orphanage in Takasaki I grew up in. Steeling myself, I read from it.

 _Dear Akagi,_

 _I hope you are doing well. My deepest condolences for the death of Haruki-kun, but alas, war is war. I lost my own son in the onslaught that took your other half away from you. Such a bright young man, my son was. He looked up to Admiral Misaki and strived to be an officer like him. But the Abyssals took both of them away from us. I can understand your grief, that's why offered my services for your child. It's what my son would have wanted. You were wise to be concerned about your daughter's safety. But please don't fret, she is in very good hands._

 _Your daughter Fubuki is doing very well. Already, she's taken a liking to the books we have here. She's also such a ball of energy, my husband and I can't keep up. We can see why you named her Fubuki. It is a shame that you had to hide her away. A shame that she has to live under a government alias. She likes being called "Yuki Yamashita", but I believe she will be happier with the name her mother gave her._

What...?!

Why? My name…it isn't even real?! It's just a government alias?!

 _Please, don't forget to visit her. You can come by anytime. You are always welcome here. I'm sure little 'Yuki' misses her mother. Someday, she might come looking for you. When that day comes, please don't deny her. Like any little girl, she just wants to be loved by her mother, nothing more._

 _Love, Hikari Sato._

Granny Hikari. That's why the handwriting seemed so familiar. My hands trembled as I read the fine printed text on the bottom of the stationery.

This is insane. Me?! Akagi-senpai's daughter?!

No…

It can't be true…

It's impossible!

Yet all the evidence points to the same conclusion.

Akagi-senpai is my mother!

Why?!

God, why wouldd she lie to me?!

Why is she hiding this under her damn tatami?!

I feel tears fall from my eyes and wipe them on my sleeve. I clench the birth certificate in my hands. This thing. I was searching for this all this time. No wonder I couldn't find it. I was searching for an enigma.

My name is not Yuki Yamashita at all. I'm Fubuki Misaki. The name right under my nose this whole time. Why haven't I seen this sooner?! I'm not even born human in the first place…I'm a human/ship girl hybrid! A walking, talking, byproduct of a UCMJ violation committed by the person I respected the most!

Akagi-senpai…why?

My mind turns to the picture of the commander's brother. Haruki Misaki. I slam his picture on the nearest mirror. Not on the mirror itself because I'm wary about the bad luck thing, but on the frame. If Akagi-senpai is my mother and this man, this Admiral, is the one who loved her, doesn't that mean he's my father?!

 _"My brother. He died in the attack here fifteen years ago." Commander Misaki ran his hand on the kanji of the name on the memorial._

He's dead…Dad is dead…I never even knew him. I stare at the reflection in the mirror. I can see it. The faint resemblance between me and him. His eyes. The way he looks when he's serious.

Wait a minute. Commander's brother?! D-Does that mean the Commander is my uncle?! If he was in on the whole thing, then is the reason I was flagship of Mobile Unit Five just a farce? Just because I was his favorite niece? Is that it?! Geez, I don't know what to think anymore!

 _"All warfare is based on deception."_

That passage from _The Art of War_ rips through my heart. So what, because we're at war it gives them the right to deceive me? For Akagi-senpai and Commander Misaki to hide the truth of my parentage? I wanted to find out about my parents, but not like this!

I stare into space, hoping I could find some kind of solace in the information I uncovered.

I've found them. My parents.

But my entire childhood was part of a larger conspiracy.

The familiar chime of the Naval Base's clock echoes through the window, and only now do I notice the setting sun. Oh. Oh no. Nonononono… I didn't realize how much time I spent on this! The clock on the wall reads five-thirty! I've got to put this away before Akagi-senpai gets back!

The sound of the door behind me slamming open causes me to jump. In my surprise, I drop the folder. The contents spill out onto the floor, leaving a pile of papers and pictures at my feet. The guilt of my curiosity spreads across my face as I realize I was looking through Akagi-senpai's most personal affects as she came into the room. A look of pure horror was strewn all over her frozen face as I held my birth certificate in my hands.

Why? Why did you have to come back _now_ , Akagi-senpai?

I stared at her with my mouth open and tears streaming down my face. I was guilty of invading her privacy, but she lied to me in the worst possible way.

I respected you.

 _"Stand. Your efforts until now far exceed this." Akagi called from the docks, pointing her arrow at me._

I looked up to you.

 _"I know how you couldn't even travel through the water and kept going forward: good, unashamed and hard-working. You can do this. Now, stand!" she commands, urging me to prove myself to her._

But why?

Why would you lie to me?

Why didn't you tell me you were my mother?

Akagi steps forward, but my fear, confusion, and distrust causes me to act. I do the only logical thing I can do.

Channeling the "Fight or Flight" response, I bolt out of the room crying my eyes out. Hot tears stream through my clenched shut eyes as I run down the halls and down the stairs, out the door and onto my familiar running trail, fleeing to the cliff overlooking the sea.

"Akagi-senpai…Akagi-senpai, you _IDIOT!_ " I shout to the sea. My tears. They won't stop. I collapse to my knees and sob uncontrollably.

I…I don't know who I am anymore.

Am I Yuki, the girl from Gunma? Or am I Fubuki, Akagi's daughter?

God, it's so confusing!

I was Yuki Yamashita, a simple orphan girl raised in Gunma Prefecture.

Born a human, became a ship girl.

That was all I knew.

All of that, every single last word of it is one brutal lie after another!

My name? It never showed up on genealogy records. Not even the government had anything on me. On official records, I didn't exist. As it turns out, "Yuki Yamashita," the name I've known my whole life, wasn't even my real name! It was a government alias to protect me. My real name is Fubuki Misaki from Kanagawa, moved to Gunma for my own protection.

I was never fully human in the first place. I am a human/ship girl hybrid, the product of a love affair between Akagi-senpai and the Commander's brother!

So, I have to ask: who am I?

 _What_ am I?

What am I fighting for?

Mom, Dad, what should I do?

But Mom…is…mom is…

I can't believe this! I can't believe this is true…

Akagi-senpai…my mother.

Dad…he's dead…

The Commander…my uncle.

Who else is in on the conspiracy, huh?! Kaga-san? Oh yeah, she'll know. She knows. Akagi-senpai tells everything to her. Houshou-san knows as well. Why else would she treat me like a granddaughter? Kongou-san? Doubtful... But that conversation I had stuck out.

 _"It will turn up. Someday. Maybe in a SURPRISING PLACE."_

That damn fast battleship! She knew all along, but she didn't tell me! I thought she was like a big sister I can rely on! That makes two people in Mobile Unit Five under my command that knows and never bothered to tell me. Hell, I bet Kongou-san engineered this whole damn thing! I wouldn't put it past her to make this secret come to light!

Who can I trust?

I don't know if I can trust anyone anymore.

Akagi-senpai...Commander...why did you have to hide this from me?

* * *

Welp, the tale is drawing to its conclusion. Therefore, this week and next week are special One Hour Specials! The next chapter will come out tomorrow! Now then, some trivia concerning Fubuki's assumed name:

Yuki is Japanese for snow.

Lieutenant Commander Shizuo Yamashita was killed in action at Cape Esperance. He was the real life _Fubuki's_ last captain.

Also, "Yamashita" means "Under the Mountain," and in case you don't know about Japan's geography (don't worry, I won't judge), Gunma Prefecture is where Akagi's namesake - Mount Akagi - resides.

No, nobody on the writing team knew any of these things until after the fact. Spoopy coincidence is Spoopy.

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by lt_agn02


	13. Chapter 13

**Relieving the Besieged Castle**

She's running.

To where I do not know, only that it is away from me.

My daughter.

I want to go after her. To tell her the truth. That she is loved, cherished. Everything that has happened was solely to keep her safe. But I cannot move. I...

Where has my strength gone? The courage and conviction to stand against my enemy, to never falter against their weapons and hate as we dueled to the death. I have sortied into battle time and time again, always confident in my actions even as the specter of death hung over us. Yet here in this room, with only the simple truth to face, I've become so powerless.

So afraid.

The silence between us as I hesitated, the words I so wanted to say but couldn't find the strength to do so. But it was too long. I was too hesitant. The moment had passed. She stood there with the pieces of my past, my secrets laid bare in the worst fashion possible as all my fears and doubts smothered my words. That look she gave me. Anger. Confusion. Pain…

Betrayal.

It hurts. More than any torpedo or bomb. I try to stifle the pain, but… it's too hard. Too much to stem the flow. How could a simple look hurt so much?

I'm afraid. Afraid that anything I could do would only make it worse. What words could I give that would not ring hollow in her ears? What could I say that would lessen the guilt? Fifteen years. Years where I told myself that it was for her own safety. So that she wouldn't be hurt as I had when Haruki had been taken away from me. That was what I said to myself each time I reached for the pen, each time she gave me that look of trust and adoration, never knowing the truth.

Had she been searching all this while? The thought haunts me, scares me. How could I have missed the signs? If I had been a little more attentive, a little less afraid of closeness… how much pain had she endured, looking for a mother that had always been right beside her? A mother who… who...

How can she see it as anything but cruel abandonment?

If she were to hate me...

Haruki… what should I do? I… I don't know what I can do. I need you now more than ever. Please. I've failed as a mother and now our daughter… she...

Footsteps.

I lift my head, the faint glimmer of hope on my heart. Could it be…?

No.

"Akagi? I heard a commotion…" Daisuke's face is a mask of concern. One that quickly morphs to alarm as he takes in the signs, understanding striking him like a hammerblow. "You're crying." He asks, dread creeping upon his features. "What's wrong?"

"Daisuke…" I whisper, my words barely able to pass my lips as I gesture at the raised tatami mats. A place I once thought secure. What a fool I've been. "Fubuki… she… she knows I'm her..."

His face is pale, almost the same white shade as an abyssal. "She found out? On her own?"

I don't answer, the question sparking a thought in my mind. A traitorous one. How could she have known to look? Why had she been asked to clean only to find what I had hidden? Kongou. Her tone, her words. So nonchalant like usual yet so specific. Had she known? Had she… somehow planned this?

"Akagi, listen to me."

The admiral's words call to me. But his voice is faint, a distant echo as the thoughts swirl within, each one gaining in intensity. My breath comes quick, something dark and ugly deep within my breast clamoring for release. How else could it had happened? Who else could have arranged for this. She had to have known what would have happened. Maybe even desired the outcome. That… that b-

"Listen to me! It's not too late!"

I blink, my thoughts in disarray at sudden physical sensation. Daisuke is staring at me with concern, arms on my shoulders.

"You can still make up with her." He says, each word heavy with meaning. "But you have to act quickly!"

Meaning I desperately want to believe in. But…

"How? How can she forgive me after-"

A look from him silences my words. Not the look of the brother of my beloved. Not the look of someone who once shared in our long ago interactions. No it is the look of the admiral, one who must give orders.

"Tell her the truth. All of it." He says simply. "It's too late to try and turn back the clock. She knows enough of the truth now to put most of it together and nothing in the world will change that. So tell her everything. Explain your side of things, let her understand why you did it."

Can it be so simple? "How can you know for certain? How do you know she will believe me?"

He sighs. "I don't, but Fubuki is a smart girl. I can't promise that she'd agree with your reasons, but if the truth comes from you? At least then she'll be able to see the whys. Forgiveness starts from understanding. It doesn't work any other way. And it has to be you who tells her Akagi. Not me, not Kongou, and definitely none of the remaining geriatrics from high command who were in on it back in the day. If it doesn't come from you, we'd only be doing the same song and dance we have for the last fifteen years, and it will only hurt both of you further. There's no more delaying it Akagi. No more hiding from the truth. It's time to come clean. You have to let her know before her heart hardens."

"W-what do you mean?"

The expression on his face changes. Worry lines etched with tiredness and haunting guilt. "Did you know I found her looking at the memorial? The one from fifteen years ago?"

Oh no. Oh no no no. Please. No.

"She was hoping to find her parents names on them, to give her at least some closure. Because if they weren't dead…"

Please.

"She cried her heart out Akagi, terrified at the thought that she was unwanted."

I can't speak. I can't say anything. All that comes out is a wordless sob as I look upon him in horror.

"Talk to her. Tell her the truth before it's too late."

Dimly, barely hearing his words, I make for the door, his softly muttered words following on my heels.

"It's the only way this story can hope for a happy ending."

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Mashadarof402.


	14. Blizzard of the Red Castle

**Blizzard of the Red Castle**

The scene on that cliff was one of melancholy. The sun was all but gone from the horizon, bathing the seascape with golds, reds, and purples. In the dark skies of the East, the moon hung. And there, at the edge of land before it plummeted into the sea, sat a little girl, no more than fourteen years old. And she was crying, her face buried in her knees. To her side, a slightly crumpled sheet of sturdy paper lay. It wasn't very special, just a simple birth certificate, one of millions like it the world over, simply saying that such-and-such a person was born on a specific day at a certain hospital with one person being identified as the mother and another person as the father. But what made this one unique was who the mother was.

 _This certifies that_ _Fubuki Misaki_ _was born to (FATHER)_ _Haruki Misaki_ _and (MOTHER)_ _Akagi_ _._

 _Weight: 3.9 kg Length: 40.2 cm_

Scarcely an hour ago, Special Type Destroyer Fubuki lived her whole life knowing that she was born Yuki Yamashita, an orphaned girl of two naval personnel from the back country. When she was discovered to be a reborn shipgirl, she began a quiet investigation into who her parents might have been... And found nothing. And then, by a twist of fate, she found her parents... And lost everything she thought she knew.

Akagi, the Aircraft carrier that she had looked up to as a person to model herself after, was her real birthmother. Her birthfather, dead. Her human name, Yuki Yamashita, was a lie. A fabrication crafted by the government to keep her origins secret from the world at large. And herself. For months, her own mother lied to her face about their relation, despite having ample opportunity to come clean.

It is a revelation that would drive most anyone to despair. For a fourteen year old girl? It is a crushing feeling. So deep in the whirlpool of confused and complicated emotions these revelations brought, she didn't even notice Kongo, lead of that class of battleships, sit down next to her, on her right. When she did notice her, Fubuki glared and turned away.

If the British returnee was hurt at the silent dismissal, she didn't show it. Instead, she picked up the sheet of paper at Fubuki's side and looked at it. When she spoke, it was with less energy than what she was known for, her smile having a subdued character to it.

"Ah, it looks like you weren't hatched after all. Good job."

"You knew," the destroyer bit out, her voice raw with bitterness, "you knew this whole time."

"...Yes."

Fubuki's grip on her knees turned her knuckles bone white, her jaw clenching in anger. "H-how long."

"Well, if it weren't for a paper-thin wall your conception would've met the technical definition of a threesome, so I'd say from the very beginning."

"...That's not funny."

"I know."

The duo sat in silence. The younger in a stew of negative feelings and trying to sort through them to ask her next question, the elder in patience, waiting to be asked.

"Who else? Who else knows? Have I just been some, some _joke_ for everyone to laugh at when I'm not around?"

Kongo shook her head, despite knowing that the destroyer wouldn't see it.

"No. Not everyone. Let's see... There's your mama of course, and Kaga, and me. And the Admiral. OH! and a couple dozen older officers that have long since retired and/or died by now. Those are the ones that know the full story. Including who you are. Hosho... Well, she never asked what your name was, and none of us volunteered."

"Liar, Hosho-san doesn't seem to ignorant to me."

Kongo smiled in the face of Fubuki's bitterness.

"Hosho is a very smart lady. She probably figured it out pretty quick."

"And so she's been lying to me too."

"Well, for all she knew, she could easily have been wrong Fubuki. And let's be honest, she'd look pretty silly if she went and called you her grandbaby and was wrong!"

"...Maybe."

Kongo nodded. "Now then other than that... I think Tatsuta was around just before your birth, and she's an observant sort... But I don't think any of us pulled her into our confidence about what was going on. If she thinks Akagi was pregnant, and not fat, then she might think you were stillborn or something. Looking back, we were all pretty gloomy around that time, so it's not a stretch to imagine. And... And that's it. That's everyone that knew about Akagi being pregnant. Of course, every now and again, the story makes the rounds of a shipgirl getting pregnant sometime in the early days, but the baby didn't make it or something. Although, everyone simply brushes it off as an Urban Myth. Something to keep newly summoned girls from 'exploring' with their officers."

Kongo put a finger to her lips in thought.

"So you see, only a few of us have ever been keeping secrets. In fact... I don't think I ever did either."

"You didn't tell me," Fubuki said, shoulders shaking with pent up anger, "you knew I was looking for my parents _and you didn't tell me!_ 'Lying by omission is still a lie' Kongo-san!"

"Yes."

Like a shot, Fubuki sent out a punch, smacking into the battleship's bicep, tears in her eyes. Kongo, naturally, was unaffected.

"You tricked me!"

"Blatantly."

Another punch, water droplets twinkling like stars as the fall to the ground.

"You're horrible people!"

"We should go to Hell."

One more, more powerful than the others.

" _Why aren't you defending your actions Kongo-san?_ "

"Because you're right Fubuki," the battleship said, easing a comforting hand onto the girl's shoulder, "we hurt you, in a way no one should be hurt. In trying to do right by the memory of a good friend and his lover, we've done wrong by you, his legacy."

" _I HATE YOU!_ "

"No you don't."

" _Y-YES I DO!_ "

But despite her vehement claims, Kongo remained calm, her voice soothing.

"I'm sure you feel many things. You are confused right now. The world as you knew it has been tossed upside down, and you don't understand why. And that makes you afraid, afraid other things may be not as you know them. And when you are afraid, that fear motivates you to change the situation. But you can't. This is not something you can just ignore or change, and that makes you angry. And that's okay, that's good. All emotions are good, because it lets us and those around us know that we are invested. They tell others when something is good, or when we have a problem. So don't be ashamed that you feel the way you do, because that means you are alive.

"All I ask, is that you do not let them control you. If you fester and stew in your anger, if you let yourself ferment in your fears, eventually they will be all you know, and you will be unable to recognize the paths out of this pit you are in. Paths you can only reach when you talk about what is wrong with those that love you, and want to help you. So... Let us help you. You have questions. Ask for the answers Fubuki, and ye shall receive."

Like a magic spell, Kongo's words calmed the torrent inside the Destroyer's soul. Fubuki looked up to look Kongo in the face, and saw something interesting. She looked... Tired. Her expression was one with a small, sad smile, and somehow, in the dying sunlight, it made her look... Older. Much older. In the back of her mind, Fubuki made a realization. This wasn't the Kongo she was used to, one who could brew tea in a moment's notice, who could lure out the infamously flighty Shimakaze with hardly any effort at all, who could bring a smile to one's face even in the darkest day. No, this was... This was the Kongo that served thirty years and in two world wars, who watched as the land of her birth and the land of her home drifted apart and became enemies, who watched as her home descended from the first "primitive" nation to gain the respect of the Great Powers of the world who treated POWs with respect, to a Reactionary dictatorship that embraced an idealized past that never really existed, and suffered the consequences of it. And then returned from the dead, serving in a third war for fifteen years... And no end in sight. And despite all that, still had the strength to see the best in the world.

Fubuki then noticed the hand on her shoulder and... Didn't mind it. She turned away to look back over the sea. Kongo took that as a good sign, and moved her hand to start rubbing circles into the destroyer's back. Fubuki didn't protest, pulling her knees back to her chest as she reflected on what else was bothering her.

"The commander is my uncle. Isn't he."

"Mm-hmm."

The destroyer chocked.

"So... Me being the flagship of Mobile Unit Five didn't mean anything."

"Now where did you get that idea?"

"I'm not stupid Kongo-san. Why else would he make me, a green destroyer, flagship of anything with a battleship, two carriers and two cruisers, if not because I was family."

Kongo sighed, her face falling at the display of self-depreciation, and moved her hand around the destroyer's other shoulder.

"Oh Fubuki. You have it all wrong. Daisuke isn't that sort of person. If he was, you'd be as far away from the front as possible, no matter who he inconvenienced or how negatively it affected the war effort. He never expected you to up and take the lead like you did."

Fubuki blinked at that, then turned to Kongo in confusion.

"Then... Then why did he make me Flagship?"

"Because you proved yourself of course. He wanted Kaga or me as Flagship, but as he told us and Akagi - and I quote - 'I can't not in good faith just step back for a moment and examine my options with just, and only just, the admiral's cap on. While the two of you may be more experienced and have the credentials, unless you can get Mobile Unit Five to work as a cohesive whole under either of your commands, I have no official reason to strip Fubuki of the position as long as her judgement and leadership remain sound in the field, or until you can somehow prove you can do better despite the leadership issue.'

"Frankly, in retrospect, the end result was pretty obvious: Kaga gets so caught up in being seen as the perfect warrior that is superior to anything connected to Carrier Division Five, that she will forget to _be_ that perfect warrior. Zuikaku is perfectly capable, but she has the unfortunate combination of a short temper and feeling like she has a lot to prove. Kitakami... Well, she's good in a battle, but I'm not sure she has the situational awareness to give commands. And Ooi is... Ooi is..."

"Is Ooi?" Fubuki offered.

"An incestuous clingy sociopath, yes."

"That's not very nice Kongo-san... But what about you? Why weren't you going to be a good flagship?"

The battleship gave a small snort.

"Oh, I would've been perfect. But I wanted you in the spotlight Fubuki. To let the record show, to prove to both yourself, _and prove to your mother_ , that you have what it takes to command, and to take care of yourself. To prove that you don't need to be babied for the rest of your life."

"Yeah but..."

"But what?"

"...Kongo-san, how can... How can I really know that I'm a good flagship? How can I know if..."

With just a touch of pressure, Kongo pulled Fubuki close, resting the destroyer's head under her chin.

"Fubuki... Do you remember the Five Meditations? Think back, from the first day you came here, to the present. Think back to every time you had a goal in mind. Being worthy of being a Kanmusu, or becoming Akagi's escort, or perusing your remodel. At any time during those endeavors, had you been slothful? Or lacking in vigor? Or felt shamed by act or word, or been insincere? Had you ever halted your efforts before you did all that you could?"

The questions were clearly rhetorical. Fubuki was well aware of what she had endured in order to chase those goals. All of the embarrassing failures while first training. Or how her muscles ached with her first daily runs, of all the bruises she collected during the training battles... No, never once had she backed down in the face of the challenges that stood between her and her goals.

"Mm-mmm."

"Well then, if that's the case, then how could anyone doubt you being deserving of those rewards? Daisuke could have ordered your remodel until he was blue in the face, but it would not happen unless you were ready. And you could only have been ready if you had trained and battled your way to it. Mobile Unit five was only meant to be a rapid response division, but you gave it your all, and managed to earn the respect of four conflicting personalities, and forge them into a cohesive unit. And you know what? The Akagi of last year, when you first arrived, would have _never_ wanted to see you anywhere near a battle."

Fubuki sagged at that. The thought that Akagi-senpai didn't want her near had always been a harsh thing to think about... But with the knowledge that she was also the destroyer's mother? Harsher still. However, Kongo wasn't done yet.

"But guess what? By the time of Second Midway... She was asking you to be her escort. And do you know why? Because you proved to her that you could not only take care of yourself, but also others. That's not favoritism Bucky. That's not nepotism. That's all you poppet. You and nothing more."

Fubuki let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Kongo's words proved to be a balm to her aching heart. But still... There was still one thing.

"But why though? Why the secrets Kongo-san? Why was I sent away?"

Fubuki pushed away from the battleship, hands against her elder's side, her eyes shedding tears anew.

"Why would my mother act like I didn't exist Kongo!" she mewled, gently shaking Kongo as she pathetically demanded answers, "tell me!"

Kongo's face fell, her bright eyes closed in resignation. When she opened them again, she offered a joyless smile as she brushed a lock of Fubuki's hair behind her ear.

"I can't tell you that Fubuki."

"S-sure you can!"

Kongo shook her head.

"Certainly, I have the capacity... But I still can't..." she turn away, behind the pair, "Because that is not my story to tell."

Fubuki turned, and gulped at what she saw: Akagi, not ten meters away, and looking very uncomfortable, fiddling with her fingertips in a way that Fubuki found very familiar. Kongo stood up.

"Fubuki. You are a smart girl. You have proven that not only in the class room, but in the field too. Use that intelligence to make the connections between what your mother will say, and what she means. You are also a kind girl, without a mean bone in your body. What we did was wrong. But we also acted for the right reasons, despite our misgivings. Whether we deserve forgiveness or not will be up to you... But please. Listen to her first, before you judge. Good night. Bucky."

And with that, the battleship bowed to the destroyer, and made her way back to the base. As she approached Akagi, out of Fubuki's earshot, the carrier spoke bitterly.

"You planed this," she accused, "I don't know how, but you did."

Kongo said nothing.

"You had no right."

Standing shoulder to shoulder to the carrier, Kongo stopped. She did not turn to Akagi as she addressed her.

"Did I now? You forget, I am the Big Sis of the fleet, and one of my surrogate little sisters was in pain. That made it my business. Furthermore, I am the battleship of Mobile Unit Five, and she is my flagship. That made it my business too."

Akagi's hands clenched into fists.

"Do you know how many leads that girl has followed? How many dead ends she plowed prow-first into? Akagi, you know that, sooner or later, she'd run out of roads to check. What would have happened then... If she did everything possible... And she still couldn't find anything on her parents?"

Akagi's eyes clenched closed tightly.

"Were you ever going to tell her Akagi? Were you waiting for her to be so far into the pit of despair, that she'd forgive you for 'abandoning' her without a thought, out of relief? Or... Were you just going to continue playing pretend? Act as if she really wasn't your baby grown up? Were you going to smile, knowing that your lack of action was hurting your daughter, just to spare you a moment's awkwardness?"

Tears ran down the Red Castle's cheeks.

Indestructible did not yield.

"If that is the case... You are an even worse mother than you think you are.

"But if that is _not_ the case... Then talk to your child."

Without another word, Kongo resumed her pace, fading into the shadows of the foliage. Akagi remained where she was for a few moments, taking in her surroundings to distract herself. The sun had finished setting, and the full moon's light bathed the world in a soft glow. And there, at the cliff's edge, a teenage girl sat, all alone in the world, confused and sad. For anyone it would be a depressing sight.

It was like a knife to the heart for Akagi, that girl's mother.

Taking in a shaky breath, the carrier squared her shoulders and marched. She had no room to maneuver anymore. There was no way out from this situation except straight ahead.

 _Hast thou exerted all possible efforts?_

No. No she had not. There was one last effort she had not yet exhausted... One she had been putting off for far, far to long.

Fubuki heard the footsteps through the short grass and dirt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a red and white shape sit down beside her on her left. Just a few hours ago, being alone with Akagi, sitting under the stars, would have been a dream come true. Now though, knowing what she did...

Akagi sat there. She had been dreaming and dreading this conversation for years. Plotting out the discussion, what she would say, what Fubuki may say in reply, and how she in-turn would respond. But now that the moment was here, it was like her tongue had been tied to the roof of her mouth, and nothing could get out.

In doctrine, carriers do not fight. Or rather, they do not fight directly. It is destroyers that engage in battle. Ergo, it is not surprising that it is ultimately Fubuki that starts things.

"D... Did you... Did you love him? The Commander's brother?"

Akagi took in a deep breath, letting it go, and willing her fears to go with it.

"Yes. Yes, more than anyone before or since. He was bold. And brilliant. Haruki could take a Hodge-Podge fleet of half swamped destroyers, engage a full strength Abyssal fleet, and command the battle in such a way that they were all sunk to a hull, and not a single one of his own ships would be lost. And he... At that time, we shipgirls were not too common. We were new, strange things, seen as little different from the Abyssals... But not to Haruki. He was the first man to see me not as simply a last-ditch effort to find a way to fight the enemy, not as a reforged object of war, but also as a... As a woman. He was... He was wonderful."

Akagi risked a look at her daughter, to find her also risking small glances her way.

"He was so looking forward to meeting you Fubuki-ch... -san. He was so eager to find a way to end the war, and do it quickly. A world at war was the last thing he wanted for you."

"Wh-what happened to him?"

The answer was obvious, but she still felt the need to ask. Akagi took another breath, digging up harsh memories, picking at not-yet-healed wounds of the heart.

"There was... An offensive. Three entire fleets encroached on the Naval District at once. On the first day, Kaga-san and I, Kongo-san, Hosho-san, Yuubari-san, Myoko-san, Chokai-san, Hibiki-chan, Shimakaze-san, and the others that had been summoned and assigned here at the time, managed to drive them back. And all that was left was to finish them off... Or at least... We thought so."

Tears pooled at her eyes.

"We got separated, each chasing an Abyssal force. Kaga-san and myself with one way, Kongo and her escorts with another way, and the steel-hull flotillas a third way. Haruki, your father... I learned later that, that he thought that there may have been a fourth force lying in wait. And... A-and he..."

She paused. A tiny choke escaped her lips, and her hands gripped at her hakama.

"He was right. From the way everyone described it, it was like a return to the first days of the war. There was the sudden rain, and flooding... And then they attacked. It wasn't much. J-just a few ships... But then... Then came the landing craft. It was a... It was a raid, whose goal was to decapitate the base. The Admiral, your uncle, he only survived because the damn coffee machine broke and he went to the cafeteria.

"By then, most of my air fuel was used, and I had only a few planes left. I- I could have sent them ahead. To provide distraction, give the base defenses some breathing room. But..."

A tear fell onto her hand. Then another. And another, and another.

"What if an enemy ship stumbled on us? I would have been defenseless. You would have been defenseless. And so I... I..."

"I get it," a tiny voice said, "you don't have to say any more."

Akagi turned sharply to see Fubuki, in a pose very similar to her own, a distraught expression on her face.

"I get it. It's... It's my fault Dad's dead. If you hadn't been pregnant, you could've-"

It was quick, sudden. Akagi didn't even think about it until it was already taking place. She took the blade of her hand, and smacked Fubuki on the crown of her head. The action shocked the both of them. The carrier didn't apply nearly the same sort of force she was capable, but it was more than enough to catch the destroyer's attention.

For the first time, Akagi had disciplined her child.

The carrier didn't marvel at that fact. She could not afford to focus on it, not when her child was saying such sentiments that stabbed her heart deeper than any rejection.

"D-don't. Don't. You. Dare, Fubuki. Y-you... You did nothing, _nothing_ , wrong. You were a baby, growing in my womb. You couldn't have affected the outcome in any way, even... Even if you were capable of understanding. If anyone is to blame, it would be me. I didn't conserve my resources like I should have. I let myself get so caught up in the pursuit that I lost sight of the bigger picture. But even then, even if I had, even if a handful of planes could have made any difference worth a damn, it is _war_ Fubuki-chan. Even if nothing had happened that day, Haruki could have died at any time after that. S-so don't... Don't you ever, _ever_ , think those horrible words ever again! You understand me?"

Fubuki, eyes wide as dinner plates, stared at Akagi, taking in her anguished features, with eyes as hard as iron, and yet exuding a warmth that was unlike anything she felt before, not even from Kongo. With mechanical motions, she nodded. Akagi returned the nod, and returned her hand to her lap as the two descended back into silence. When conversation resumed, it was Akagi that spoke, of her own volition.

"I was weak... To weak to protect him. Haruki was so smart, so clever, that the Abyssals took a page out of his own playbook, and used it against him, because they knew he would have ended the war right then and there if they had let him. I... I couldn't risk losing you too. I couldn't risk them finding out that he had a child. My weakness... My fears... they drove me to send you away. Forced me to... To force everyone around me to act as if... As if..."

"...Is that why? Is that why you never...?"

"Never what? Called? Visited?" Akagi gave a small bark of a laugh, thick with bitterness. "Wrote a damned letter?"

Akagi's gaze turned away from her child, down to her lap, eyes growing dull as she spiraled down an all to familiar road.

"I tried. So many times I tried. Whole reams of paper, wasted with scribblings of my ramblings etched onto them. Heaven knows I tried to build up the nerve... But why would you have accepted me Fubuki-san? I... I'm not a mother. A mother wouldn't have thrown her child away like I did. I'm a failure as a mother Fubuki. I don't deserve your love. Or your forgiveness, if even someone as sweet as you had the capacity to give it..."

The pair sat like that for what seemed like hours, the moon rising, adding more light to the sad scene. Akagi, stewing in her own self-loathing, and Fubuki...

Once more, Fubuki wasn't sure what to think. She had harbored many fantasies about what finding her birthmother would be like. Finding this, a broken person, fully convinced that sending her child to a safe place was a heartless thing for her to do, fully convinced that she was the scum of the earth for doing something that, from all evidence, was the best thing to do, was not one of them. Fubuki's mind didn't know what to do...

But her heart did.

Her hand, seemingly of its own volition, began to move, haltingly edging for Akagi's hand. In time, she placed it on Akagi's. The carrier jerked upright, stared at the contact as if having never experienced touch like this before. She turned to Fubuki, eyes wide, so full of hope, and so full of the fear of trickery. And like that, any doubt fled from Fubuki's mind. She found her mama. Flaws and all, nothing could change that. Kongo was right, Fubuki could understand the why's of it all. She didn't like it, but she could understand it. Of course, there was to much in the way for a normal relationship to happen. Both would need time to adjust. The rest of the fleet would be told... But later. For now? Now it could be their little secret, as they got reacquainted, after far too long apart.

Fubuki scooted closer to her mother, and leaned her head onto her shoulder. Moments later, Akagi leaned her head on top of her daughter's. She released a sigh, and Fubuki could feel fifteen years of stress, fears, and self-hatred leaving her very soul.

And finally, the healing could begin...

A little distance off, a certain battleship stood amongst the foliage, hidden by shadows. She smiled, and turned around, making her way back to the dorms. For real this time.

"Just as planned," she whispered.

* * *

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by myself.

Kinda surprised at the lack of responses at the last two chapters.


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